Search

A Guide to Protecting Yourself Against Digital Asset Scams

  • Updated

Kinesis Red Shield image.jpg

At Kinesis, the security of your account and assets is our highest priority. In this guide, we’ll outline everything you need to know to protect yourself from potential threats, keep your account secure, and recognise warning signs of fraudulent activity.

Remember, we’re here to help whenever you need us. If you have any concerns or simply want to double-check a communication, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our dedicated support team.

How to protect from digital asset scams

  • Verify information sources: Be cautious of unsolicited offers and verify the authenticity of information, including website domains. Scammers often use slight misspellings or variations that appear correct at a glance.
  • Recognise red flags: Exercise caution with anyone pressuring you to take action quickly, or making promises.
  • Maintain control: Never share access to your account, keep your account private, and be vigilant for common scam tactics.
  • Beware of phishing attacks: Avoid clicking on suspicious links and double-check email addresses.
  • Update security practices: Keep your software updated and stay informed about new security measures.
  • Secure your digital wallet: Choose reputable wallets and enable multi-factor authentication.
  • Keep your private keys safe: Never share private keys to your external wallet with anyone. Your private key is like a password to your digital wallet - if someone has it, they have access to your funds.

Common types of scams

Be on the lookout for these common types of scams:

1. Phishing Scams

Case Study: Mark received an email that appeared to be from his bank, asking him to verify his account by clicking a link. The link led to a fake website that looked identical to his bank’s official site. After entering his login details, scammers accessed his real bank account and stole his funds.

Phishing Scams

Across the digital-asset sector, there has been a growing wave of phishing attempts in which scammers impersonate trusted companies and support staff. These attacks rely on deception rather than technical breaches, and they often attempt to trick users into accessing fake websites and revealing their sensitive information there, such as their usernames and passwords.

Some Kinesis users have reported messages and websites impersonating Kinesis or members of the Kinesis team. These messages request purportedly urgent account updates, identity documents, or login verification, and often include links that appear legitimate but lead to fraudulent websites.

If these links are clicked and information is entered, scammers may gain access to account credentials or personal data.

Scammers continually change their methods and may contact users through email, messaging platforms, search engines, advertisements, or social media. These communications can appear highly convincing and often use official branding, language, or formatting to mimic genuine Kinesis communications.

Common phishing tactics

Phishing attempts can take several forms, including:

  • Fake websites designed to closely resemble the official Kinesis website or login page
  • Emails or messages claiming urgent account updates, security issues, verification requests, or unexpected rewards
  • Private messages or groups on messaging platforms where individuals impersonate Kinesis support staff or representatives
  • Sponsored search engine results or online advertisements directing users to fraudulent websites placed above legitimate results
  • Requests for sensitive information such as login credentials, private keys, recovery phrases, or identity documents

Many phishing messages attempt to create a sense of urgency to pressure users into acting quickly without verifying the request.

Kinesis team members will never request the following information through email, social media, or messaging platforms:

  • Passwords
  • Private keys
  • Recovery phrases
  • Sensitive account credentials

If there is ever uncertainty about a communication claiming to be from Kinesis, it is safest to contact the support team directly before clicking links, opening attachments, or providing any information.

Examples of fake Kinesis websites

While Kinesis’ official website is https://kinesis.money, scammers may create websites whose URLs look similar to the Kinesis URL, with very slight changes in the spelling or punctuation used. 

For example, a fake website may look something like these:

body-image-1 (1).jpg

Phishing or fake websites may also appear as sponsored results in search engine results like those shown in the below screenshot:

body-image-3 (2).jpg

Official Kinesis channels

Note that the official Kinesis channels are as follows:

Users are advised to rely on these official channels when verifying announcements or updates.

Best practices against phishing scams

While phishing tactics continue to evolve, the following precautions can significantly reduce the risk of scams:

  • Always check the domain name in the browser before entering any information
  • Bookmark the official Kinesis website and access the platform directly from the bookmark
  • Avoid navigating to the Kinesis platform through search engine results or online advertisements
  • Be cautious of unexpected emails, messages, or calls requesting urgent account action
  • Never share login credentials, private keys, recovery phrases, or personal information
  • If a message appears unusual or pressuring, pause and verify the request through official Kinesis support channels

Remaining cautious and verifying communications helps protect both personal information and digital assets from increasingly sophisticated impersonation attempts.


 

2. Investment Recovery Scams

Case Study: Sarah, after losing money to an investment fraud, saw an advertisement in the newspaper for a company claiming to be an "asset recovery firm". The firm claimed they could recover her lost funds. Desperate to get her money back, she gave the scammers access to her account and they took all her funds.

How to Protect Yourself:

  • Be wary of companies promising to recover lost investments.
  • Be aware even companies advertising in newspapers or on television can be fraudulent.
  • Research the legitimacy of any recovery service before engaging with them.
  • Report financial fraud to regulatory authorities instead of seeking third-party recovery firms.

3. Impersonation scams

Case study: John received a message from an individual claiming to be a representative of the investment platform he was using. The scammer, posing as a representative, informed John that his funds were at immediate risk due to a hacking attack and that urgent action was required. The scammer pressured John to log into his account and grant remote access to his computer, claiming this was necessary to freeze the account and protect it from the hackers. Panicked by the situation, John agreed. The hackers took control of John’s computer, accessed his account and stole his funds.

How to Protect Yourself:

  • Remember Kinesis will never ask you for login details or remote access of your account.
  • If someone is pressuring you to take action with your account, contact Kinesis support.
  • Be wary of anyone asking for remote access to your account.
  • Report the incident to trusted support channels.

How Kinesis communicates with you

  • The following are things we will never ask for under any circumstances: 
    • Kinesis will never ask you for your sensitive information such as your password.
    • Kinesis will never ask you to click on a link to update your account information. 
    • Kinesis will never ask you to transfer money. 
    • Kinesis will never ask you to download software or attachments.  
       

How can I report a suspected scam?

If you believe you’ve received a phishing email from someone pretending to be Kinesis, please report it to us immediately so we can investigate. 

Send the suspicious email to support@kinesis.money 

Need assistance?

If you have any questions about your account security or would like more information on how to protect yourself, talk to our support team, available 24/7 via live chat or contact us through our page here. We’re here to help you every step of the way.