How to recognise a phishing attempt before you click

A focused, practical guide to spotting phishing emails, messages, and fake sites that target crypto users, and the simple checks that keep you safe.

Phishing is the art of tricking you into handing over secrets — a password, a recovery phrase, or a click on a poisoned link — by pretending to be someone you trust. In crypto, a single phishing success can empty a wallet. The good news is that phishing follows predictable patterns you can learn to spot in seconds.

Step 1: Treat urgency as a warning, not a command

Phishing messages almost always try to rush you. "Your wallet will be locked in 24 hours." "Urgent security action required." Real organisations rarely demand instant action. The moment you feel a jolt of panic, slow down — that feeling is exactly what the attacker engineered.

Step 2: Inspect the sender and the link

Hover over links before clicking to see where they really go.
Check the web address for subtle misspellings or extra words, like a hyphen or an added letter.
Be suspicious of any link arriving by email, text, or chat — even if it looks official.

Step 3: Never enter your recovery phrase anywhere online

This is the big one. No legitimate website, wallet, or support agent will ever ask for your recovery phrase. A page that asks you to "validate" or "sync" your wallet by entering the words is always a scam, with no exceptions.

Step 4: Reach sites the safe way

Instead of clicking links, type the official address yourself or use a bookmark you saved earlier. This single habit defeats most phishing, because the attacker can only fool you if you follow their link rather than your own.

Step 5: Watch for impersonation in chats

Scammers often pose as "support" or a "team member" who messages you first. Real support does not slide into your private messages offering to fix your wallet. When someone contacts you out of the blue offering help, assume it is phishing until proven otherwise.

Step 6: When unsure, ask the community

If a message leaves you uncertain, paste it (without your secrets) into the official Malairte community and ask. Experienced members spot phishing instantly and will happily confirm. A thirty-second question is far cheaper than a stolen wallet.

Phishing relies on a moment of haste. Replace haste with a calm check, and these attacks lose almost all their power.

Published May 14, 2026

Frequently asked questions

How is Malairte different from Bitcoin?

Bitcoin uses an algorithm (SHA-256) that has been completely dominated by specialised ASIC hardware - normal computers cannot meaningfully participate any more. Malairte uses a CPU/GPU-friendly algorithm so anyone with a regular PC can mine. The two networks are independent and Malairte (MLRT) is its own coin with its own ledger.

Do I need an expensive computer to use Malairte?

No. Malairte was designed from the start to run on everyday hardware. A normal laptop or desktop computer is enough to install the wallet, send and receive coins, and even mine at a small scale using your CPU or graphics card. You do not need a server rack, an ASIC, or a high electricity bill. If your computer is recent enough to run a modern web browser smoothly, it is recent enough to use Malairte. This is one of the biggest differences between Malairte and Bitcoin: Bitcoin mining today needs specialised industrial machines, while Malairte deliberately keeps the door open for ordinary people, families, and community groups to take part on the hardware they already own.

What happens if I lose access to my wallet?

If you still have your recovery phrase — the list of 12 or 24 words you wrote down when you first set up the wallet — you can restore everything. Install the Malairte wallet on a different computer, choose the option to restore from a recovery phrase, and type the words in the correct order. Your balance will reappear because the coins live on the blockchain, not on your old device. If you lose your wallet AND your recovery phrase, however, the coins cannot be recovered by anyone, including the Malairte team. No company controls your wallet, so no company can reset it. This is why writing the recovery phrase down on paper, and storing it safely, is the single most important step.

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Start mining Malairte the right way

Malairte (MLRT) is a CPU and GPU mineable coin — no ASICs, no specialized hardware. Download the official wallet and put this guide into practice on the computer you already own.

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Educational resource only — not financial advice.