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Security Recovery
What to Do if Your Crypto Wallet Was Drained
Emergency steps after a wallet drain, including what not to do, what to check, and how to reduce further damage.
Quick answer
What this usually means
If a wallet was drained, the priority is to stop using the wallet, preserve evidence, check the cause, and move any remaining assets only if it is safe.
Common causes
Why it happens
- The seed phrase or private key was exposed.
- A malicious approval allowed token movement.
- A malicious signature authorized a transfer.
- The user installed a fake wallet or extension.
- The device or browser environment was compromised.
Fix path
What to check first
- Do not send new funds to the compromised wallet.
- Check transaction history across networks.
- Identify whether the issue was seed exposure, approval, or signature.
- Move remaining assets to a clean wallet if safe.
- Preserve transaction hashes and suspicious URLs.
Safety note
Do not make the problem worse
- Recovery scammers target drained-wallet victims.
- No one can reverse an on-chain drain by knowing your seed phrase.
- If the seed phrase is exposed, the wallet should be retired.