Thread by @plsinsider

As $pls and $plsx launch alongside the largest airdrop in history, scammers will pounce on the unexperienced.

Fake airdrops can empty your entire wallet.

A thread on how not to get scammed by fake airdrop scams during the #pulsechain and #pulsex launch.

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2/ First, the Golden Rule:

Never share your seed phrase. There is NEVER ANY REASON you should or need to share your private keys with anybody. If anybody asks for it, you can assume with 100% certainty that they are trying to scam you.

3/ Let me repeat that:

Never share your seed phrase. There is NEVER ANY REASON you should or need to share your private keys with anybody. If anybody asks for it, you can assume with 100% certainty that they are trying to scam you.

4/ Now, how exactly can fake airdrops empty your wallet?

There are 3 main ways.

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1. Phishing scams that ask you for your seed phrase.

The least dangerous scams are the ones that directly ask for your seed phrase. But it's also the most common.

6/ You might get sent a link to a website that asks you to enter your seed phrase in order to claim your free tokens.

Remember... nobody, no app, no exchange, no transaction, no smart contract, WILL EVER NEED YOUR SEED PHRASE FOR ANYTHING.

7/ Remember the golden rule, and these should be easy enough to avoid. But also remember that scammers can also use clever tricks to make you submit your seed phrase like this:

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2. Don't connect your wallet to unknown apps

Merely connecting your wallet to an app is fine and will usually not be enough to make your wallet vulnerable. However, it's the "mistakenly" agreeing to a smart contract during the connection process that you have to look out for

9/ Be wary for any permissions you give you to the app that give them permission to access your funds.

They look something like this:

10/ This kind of permission gives way for a secret governance backdoor that now has the privilege to call any passed data, to any address.

11/ And scarily, that's really all that's needed. You might think that you simply connected your wallet and accessed some free random coins. But in actuality, you just gave some scammer permissions to empty your wallet to any address they want.

12/ The scarier part is, they usually don't empty the hacked wallets right away. There may even be bots set in place to trigger a withdrawal when it reaches a certain value (ie. Trigger withdrawal when min balance is at least 5ETH).

13/ Remember that scammers are good web designers too. They know how to build clean, beautiful websites that look legitimate.

14/ Some will even look cute enough to blind your usual scam radar for a brief moment.

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3. Finding random free airdropped tokens in your wallet

This will be a common airdrop scam. And it's probably the most sophisticated out of the three listed here.

Scammers will airdrop tokens to random addresses.

16/ They may look legitimate. They might hold some value.

But it's all faked.

The scammers can add liquidity themselves to make it seem like the coins are trading when they're not.

17/ DO NOT do anything with random tokens that appear in your wallet. Before you can cash out, you'll likely have to sign a smart contract that approves the scammers to access all the funds in your wallet.

Usually, they'll word like "Verify your wallet" in order to cash out.

18/ You might think you're cashing out X dollars, but you could wake up to an empty wallet.

19/ So what's the best way to stay safe during the #pulsechain airdrop craze?

Scammers will pretend to be MetaMask. They'll pretend to be @RichardHeartWin, PulseChain devs, or even brands that want to partner with you and give you access to early airdrops.

20/ You're also going to see scam links on Twitter, on Discord, in Telegram, in your DMs.

Verify everything before interacting with anything. Don't click on links shared through social media or DMs. Double check the profiles of people you interact with.

21/ Do not click on any strange links. If you do, do not connect your wallet right away. Always verify the URL that you're on the correct address. Always verify that the person or brand who messaged you is not an imposter by checking their profiles.

22/ And if you receive a bunch of free coins that look legitimate, but you're not 100% sure... then WAIT and don't do anything yet. Just wait it out a week or two. See if people report it as a scam.

23/ As a general, don't connect your wallets to websites/dapps you're not sure about.

And pay attention to the MetaMask popups that ask you to sign and approve stuff. Many people click approve without thinking twice. Make sure you're not signing over your wallet permissions.

24/ Basically, put your tinfoil hats on. The #pulsechain airdrop will be a huge event. Scammers will be more active than ever. Stay safe, double check everything. And be careful connecting your wallet and interacting with unknown airdropped tokens.

25/ Stay safe everyone!