Your seed phrase is your wallet: a short guide to keeping it safe
Twelve or twenty four words decide who owns your coins. How to store them and which requests you should always refuse.
When you create a self custody wallet, it shows you a list of words. That list is not a password for the wallet. It is the wallet. Whoever has those words can restore it on any device and move everything in it.
How to store it properly
- Write it on paper, by hand and in order. For large amounts, consider a metal backup that survives fire and water.
- Keep it offline. No photos, note apps, cloud documents or password managers that sync everywhere.
- Store it somewhere you will still find it in five years, and think about who should be able to find it if something happens to you.
Requests you should always refuse
No real support team needs your seed phrase. Not your wallet maker, not an exchange, not a swap service. Scammers pose as all of them, often by direct message on Telegram right after you post a question in a public group. If someone asks for your words, the conversation ends there.
The same goes for websites that ask you to enter your phrase to validate, sync or claim something. That is always theft.
What it has to do with swapping
A non custodial swap never needs your keys. You paste a receiving address, which is public and safe to share, and you send from your wallet yourself. That is the whole point. If someone claiming to be our Telegram bot or our team asks for your phrase, it is not us. We never ask for it.
Questions
Will Swapea ever ask for my seed phrase?
Never. No swap needs it, no support case needs it and nobody at Swapea will ever ask for it. Anyone who does is trying to steal your coins.
Is a photo of my seed phrase a good backup?
No. Photos sync to cloud accounts and end up leaking. The standard is paper or metal, stored offline.
