Security, Safety, & Peace of Mind in The New World
888 The New World brought together leaders in the community via Twitter Spaces titled “Security, Safety, and Peace of Mind in The New World” on Tuesday, September 1. This conversation was in response to yet another gutting scam where thousands of pieces of original art, collectibles, and un-recoupable Ethereum balances were stolen.
ICYMI, we created this synopsis of the conversation to share important takeaways and key learnings from this incredibly informative conversation.
THE BIG THREE ON SAFETY, SECURITY, & PEACE OF MIND:
- SLOW DOWN. We are all moving so fast, doing a million things a minute, and it is in these moments when we don’t pay attention that we are the most vulnerable. You do more to protect yourself against phishing, scams, and crypto-attacks when you simply slow down.
- COMMUNITY. We’re always talking about the power of our community, and it is so important for us to lean on each other to support and educate. If you see something or suspect something, say something! You are not alone; trust your instincts and never be afraid to ask your network for help or validation if something feels off.
- INCLUSIVITY. Remember the nuances, colloquialisms, and “inside jokes” of our community, and be mindful of newcomers and how this might be a barrier to entry as people enter our space. We all like to feel a sense of belonging and take pride in knowing how early we are, but that does not mean we are devoid of the responsibility to be inclusive teachers and mentors to aid in the momentum and adoption of decentralized technology.
“If anybody loses an asset, a digital asset that didn’t have to be lost, it’s bad for all of us that are trying to help adopt and create an adoption of blockchain technology to the wider world”
- @boomcat
OUR SPEAKERS & WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY:
Meet @maalavidaa
Head of Mental Health and Wellness, 888 The New World
Maalavidaa founded “crypto’s first ever emotional support club,” Heal the Deal.
Maalavidaa gave us insight and strategies on staying calm when moving through the chain and spoke to the ways anxiety, fear, and emotional escalation put us in a dangerous position that makes it difficult to think and process clearly.
Key takeaways:
- Phishing, hacks, scams, and danger can happen to people online and in real world meet ups. Whether it is someone we know personally or not, we can always empathize with the stress and pain that person must be experiencing. Try to show up for each other the way you would want someone to show up for you. 💞
- Risks, attempted attacks, and attacks are taking place in people’s direct messages, and most scammers use the same patterns in their attacks. Pay attention to the screenshots you see, and the messages that are coming through to your inbox.
More resources from Maalavidaa:
- Heal The Deal is a mental health resource for personal and professional support. Join their community here: https://discord.gg/vFpH56sS7J
- Check out 0x Academy: a knowledge base created by the first crypto art centre in Canada, 0x Society: https://academy.0xsociety.com/
- To store your Seedphrases in the best conditions, check out: https://cryptosteel.com/
@karsendaily, Chief Experience Officer, 888 The New World
As the CXO of 888 The New World, Karsen’s core responsibility is to ensure the community is healthy, happy, and safe to the best of her ability.
Her perspective and insight is informed by her own experience as an individual voice within the crypto community, and as a brand and platform builder of the digital future.
Key takeaways:
- Karsen once Tweeted about needing support with her MetaMask wallet and warned listeners of the many responses and DMs from accounts claiming they were MetaMask support staff. These types of phishers are fast, and are on the lookout for vulnerable individuals.
🚨 Never seek official account support through DMs! Always put in an official ticket from the software/platforms domain — yes, it might take some time, but it will save you in the long run! 🚨
- Karsen referenced a Tweet she had seen that very morning:
She used this example to encourage people to be mindful of individuals that are new to the space who might not read through the lines to decipher satire in the same way the crypto-native community understands it. While the nuances and jokes are an important part of the culture, the Tweet itself could prove to be problematic or even dangerous to some.
“New people are going to come into crypto, NFT, and blockchain industries because it’s hot, awesome, fucking fun, and very promising. So let’s try to help those people, and recognize when we need to be serious and when we need to be silly.”
@farokh, Community Builder & Leader
Farokh is a community leader and active member in the NFT space who often hosts educational rooms to share his knowledge and give people a platform to ask questions and share their stories. In addition to being a social media expert with years of experience running his own agency, Farokh has hosted and interviewed countless celebrities and entrepreneurs.
Key takeaways:
- If you get targeted in a hack or phishing scam, don’t feel ashamed. If something happens to you, know you’re being played by hackers who are really smart and good at what they do, along with some of the smartest and most knowledgeable people you know.
- Remember the power of community! If you have questions about something, don’t hesitate to put out a tweet and ask if someone can help you, answer a question, or vouch for a discord account and username.
“We keep praising our community, but if you don’t put the community to work in your favor when you need it, then there’s no point to it.”
OTHER GEMS DROPPED ON SPACES:
Karsen asked an important question, “I love my collection but I’m not stacking up ETH. Who would want to hack me or scam me?”
Who should be securing their wallet?
Answer: all of us. Unfortunately, as the NFT community grows and more people start watching, so will the potential to be targeted by scammers.
“We’re in a community where we’re the early adopter, and there’s going to be millions upon millions upon millions that come after us.” — Parker
“We need to protect ourselves, they’re going to come for our jpegs because it’s becoming popular. It’s hot, it’s booming, always gonna be greed and envy and all that good stuff.” — Farokh
“Most of the time, we find that these things happening are patterns, and a lot of the DMs and messages we receive others have received as well.”
— Maalavidaa
“These hackers are smart, but they have patterns, and it’s easy to find them. There’s a lot of red flags in the wording, so you’ve gotta slow down. We’re in a fast paced environment, and they’re taking advantage of how fast we’re going. I lost my stuff by going too fast.” — Farokh
Directive Creator, Lead Moderator for 888 TNW Discord & Community Leader, shared some more common scams to watch out for:
- Never join a different server or leave the server you’re in when looking for support- anyone asking you to join a new server should be an immediate red flag
- Beware of fake Metamask or Opensea support accounts — members of our community have been targeted by accounts pretending to be the support team.
- Always verify you are talking to the real person for support, apps like Discord can allow people to change their names and profile pictures in different servers.
- Beware that people who pay for Discord Nitro are also able to change the last 4 digits after their username.
- Never click on a link you aren’t certain of or download an attachment from someone you don’t know.
- Hackers will target you when you’re in a rush or in an emotional moment, make sure slow down, to take your time, and triple check everything to avoid being taken advantage of.
- Do not store your seed phrase as a screenshot on your phone or in your notes app!
Other Hot Tips:
- Consider putting your seed phrase in a safety deposit box, so you know where to find it in the event you get locked out of your wallet.
- Set up a Ledger or cold storage wallet before you make any transactions or connect to a digital wallet.
- If you receive a message you’re unsure about, speak up! Chances are many other people are experiencing and questioning the same thing.
- Report suspicious Discord messages to Server’s Moderators right away/
- Be mindful of links and PDFs sent via Discord — always ask someone send you a screenshot with the file source before downloading something.
- Take your time, ask questions, and know that no reputable leader in this space is ever going to DM you first. The best practices are to either communicate in an open support channel, or have you reach out to them first so you know you’re reaching the right person.
IN CONCLUSION…
Awareness is key — and it’s important for us to have an open conversation around the scams and frauds that are attacking our community, and education around how to educate ourselves and keep our assets secure and safe. A key takeaway from “Security, Safety, & Peace of Mind in the New World” is the importance of sharing our experiences, because chances are, others are going through the same thing.
Thank you to all of our panelists, community members, and listeners. If you have any questions, we’re always happy to help.
More Resources
- 888 The New World’s Safety Guide
- Get your Ledger Hardware Wallet
- Ledger Best Practices and Additional Resources
