Crypto Currency Fraud Alert on Hardware Wallets & Seed Phrases - Trigger Fraud Alert #49 (October 2026)

Crypto Currency Fraud Alert on Hardware Wallets & Seed Phrases - Trigger Fraud Alert #49 (October 2026)

Dear Resident, 

Humberside Police are warning people about Crypto Currency Investment fraud.

Never buy a hardware wallet from a third-party seller, as there is a possibility that the product could be compromised and never share your seed phrase with anyone!!    

Third-party sellers, unverified channels can pose a severe security risk.  Scammers can buy official wallets, compromise them with malicious firmware or pre-generated seed phrases, repackage them to look brand new, and resell them.    Always buy directly from the official manufacturer website or officially listed authorised distributors.

Your 12-to-24-word seed phrase is the master key to your entire crypto portfolio. Anyone who has it owns your funds.   Anyone asking for it is a fraudster!!

Never type your seed phrase into a computer, smartphone, photo, cloud storage, or email. Sophisticated malware can easily scan your devices for these words.

Reporting and Support

If you have been a victim and lost money, call 101 and report it to Humberside Police.

Visit fraudwatch.org.uk for more information about fraud and where to get support.

You can also sign up to receive future alerts at alerts.fraudwatch.org.uk.

You can read the full alert, watch a video an download some leaflets to share here: https://www.fraudwatch.org.uk/2026/10/19/trigger-fraud-alert-49/. 

To find out more about your local policing team including who your officers are, updates on policing priorities and details of meetings and events please visit https://www.police.uk.