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.
How to Protect Yourself:
- Never click on links in unsolicited emails or texts claiming to be from Kinesis.
- Always verify the sender’s email address and look for slight misspellings.
- Report any suspicious emails to the Kinesis support team immediately.
- Check if an email or website is spelt correctly. Scammers often use slight misspellings or variations that appear correct at a glance.
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.