Connect with us
DAPA Banner

Crypto World

Fake Trezor, Ledger letters target crypto wallet recovery phrases

Published

on

crypto wallet phishing letters

Crypto hackers are sending physical letters impersonating Trezor and Ledger to steal cryptocurrency wallet recovery phrases.

Summary

  • Hackers mail fake Trezor and Ledger letters with phishing QR codes.
  • Sites request recovery phrases and grant attackers full wallet control.
  • Hardware wallet firms never ask users to share seed phrases.

The phishing campaign claims recipients must complete mandatory “Authentication Check” or “Transaction Check” procedures.

The hackers are also creating urgency through deadlines of February 15, 2026 for Trezor. Letters printed on official-looking letterhead direct users to scan QR codes leading to malicious websites.

Advertisement

The phishing sites request 24-, 20-, or 12-word recovery phrases under the pretense of verifying device ownership.

Once entered, recovery phrases transmit to threat actors through backend API endpoints, granting attackers full control over victims’ wallets and funds.

Both hardware wallet companies suffered data breaches in recent years that exposed customer contact information.

Advertisement

Phishing sites create urgency through functionality warnings

Cybersecurity expert Dmitry Smilyanets received a fake Trezor letter warning that failure to complete authentication would result in lost device functionality.

“To avoid any disruption to your Trezor Suite access, please scan the QR code with your mobile device and follow the instructions on our website,” the letter stated.

The Trezor phishing site displays warnings about limited access, transaction signing errors, and disruption with future updates.

crypto wallet phishing letters
Physical crypto phishing letters

A similar Ledger-themed letter circulated on X, claiming Transaction Check would become mandatory.

The phishing pages allow users to enter recovery phrases in multiple formats, falsely claiming the information verifies device ownership and enables authentication features.

Advertisement

Once victims enter recovery phrases, data transmits to the phishing site. Attackers import the wallet onto their own devices and drain funds.

The letters create false urgency by claiming devices purchased after November 30, 2025 come pre-configured, pressuring earlier buyers to act.

Crypto hardware wallet companies never request recovery phrases

Physical mail phishing campaigns targeting hardware wallet users remain relatively rare. Crypto hackers mailed modified Ledger devices in 2021 designed to steal recovery phrases during setup. A similar postal campaign targeting Ledger users was reported in April.

Advertisement

Anyone possessing a wallet’s recovery phrase gains full control over the wallet and all funds. Trezor and Ledger never ask users to enter, scan, upload, or share recovery phrases through any channel.

Recovery phrases should only be entered directly on hardware wallet devices when restoring wallets, never on computers, mobile devices, or websites.

The targeting criteria for the physical letters remains unclear. However, both companies’ past data breaches exposed customer mailing addresses and contact information to potential attackers.

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Crypto World

Stablecoins Dominate Crypto Trading as Retail Activity Drops: CEX.io

Published

on

Stablecoins Dominate Crypto Trading as Retail Activity Drops: CEX.io

Stablecoins were a rare bright spot in an otherwise subdued crypto market in the first quarter, with supply growth and transaction activity pointing to sustained demand even as broader market conditions weakened.

Total stablecoin supply increased by roughly $8 billion to a record $315 billion in Q1, according to data from CEX.IO. Although this marked the slowest pace of expansion since Q4 of 2023, it still represented growth during a period when the wider crypto market contracted.

The data suggests investors rotated into stablecoins as a defensive strategy, boosting their share of overall market activity. Stablecoins accounted for 75% of total crypto trading volume during the quarter — the highest level on record.

Stablecoins’ share of total digital asset trading volume exceeded its 2022 peak. Source: CEX.io

At the same time, total stablecoin transaction volume topped $28 trillion, underscoring their growing role as the primary liquidity layer of the digital asset market. The figure extends a multi-year surge in activity, with stablecoin volumes in recent years exceeding those of major payment networks like Visa and Mastercard combined.

However, data on underlying activity painted a more nuanced picture.

Advertisement

Retail-sized transfers — typically associated with individual users — declined by 16% in the first quarter, the steepest drop on record. In contrast, automated activity surged, with bots accounting for approximately 76% of all stablecoin transaction volume.

The shift toward bot-driven flows suggests that a growing share of stablecoin usage is tied to algorithmic trading, arbitrage and liquidity provisioning, rather than retail demand. While elevated automation can reflect more sophisticated or institutional participation, it may also signal weaker organic demand during bearish market conditions. 

Related: Circle shares surge as Bernstein sees upside from stablecoin adoption

Divergence between major stablecoin issuers

One of the CEX.io report’s key takeaways was a widening divergence between major stablecoin issuers. The supply of Circle’s USDC (USDC) grew by roughly $2 billion in the first quarter, while Tether’s USDt (USDT) declined by about $3 billion, marking the first notable split between the two since Q2 of 2022 amid the bear market.

Advertisement

The trend aligns with earlier Cointelegraph reporting, which highlighted a surge in USDC transfer activity in February, pointing to increased usage across trading and onchain transactions.

USDC is now more widely used for “financial operations,” which include trading and onchain transactions. Source: CEX.io

Beyond USDC, much of the growth in stablecoin issuance was driven by yield-bearing products — a segment that has drawn increasing scrutiny in the US. Ongoing discussions around a crypto market structure bill in Congress have placed yield at the center of debate, with traditional banks pushing back against stablecoins that offer interest-like returns.

The market for yield-bearing stablecoins is currently valued at around $3.7 billion, with daily trading volumes exceeding $100 million, according to data from CoinGecko.

Related: Crypto Biz: Stablecoin jitters meet institutional momentum