A growing number of YouTube comments under crypto-related videos appear to show users publicly sharing their crypto wallet seed phrases (secret recovery phrases) and asking for help transferring funds. This behavior, while seemingly naïve or reckless, is actually part of a sophisticated scam targeting unsuspecting and sometimes greedy crypto users.


How the Scam Works

Bait Wallets: Scammers create wallets, deposit a small amount of cryptocurrency (the bait), and then publicly share the seed phrase in YouTube comments, often with a story like "I have funds in my wallet and don't know how to transfer them. Here is my seed phrase, can someone help me?"

Luring Victims: The intention is to entice people into thinking they've stumbled upon a careless or inexperienced user who has exposed their wallet, giving anyone access to the funds inside. The hope is that someone will try to "help" themselves to the money by importing the wallet using the shared seed phrase.

Gas Fee Trap: When a victim tries to move the baited funds (like USDT or other tokens), they realize the wallet lacks the necessary blockchain "gas" (e.g., ETH, TRX, SOL) to pay for the transaction fee. The victim then sends their own crypto to the wallet to cover the gas fee.

Automated Draining: As soon as the victim deposits gas money, a bot or smart contract instantly sweeps the wallet, transferring the new funds to the scammer's own address. The victim loses the gas money they sent, and the baited tokens remain unreachable or are simply fake.

Multi-Signature Twist: In some cases, the wallet is a multi-signature wallet, meaning even with the seed phrase, the victim cannot move the funds without additional approvals. Any gas or attempts to transfer tokens are wasted, and the scammer profits from repeated attempts by different victims.


Why This Tactic Works

Greed and Opportunism: The scam preys on people who believe they can profit by taking over a "lost" wallet, rather than helping a genuine user.

Curiosity and Naivety: Some users may be genuinely curious or unaware of crypto security basics, not realizing that any wallet with a publicly shared seed phrase is almost certainly a trap.

Automation: Scammers use bots to monitor these wallets 24/7, ensuring any incoming funds are instantly stolen.


Key Takeaways

  • Never trust a publicly shared seed phrase. Any wallet with a seed phrase posted online is compromised and likely part of a scam.
  • Never send gas or tokens to such wallets. You will lose your funds instantly to automated scripts controlled by scammers.
  • Report these comments. They are a form of spam and fraud that harm the crypto community.
  • The scammer's goal is to trick many people into sending ETH while they attempt to claim the USDT.


In summary, people share wallet seed phrases and ask for help transferring money in YouTube comments as part of a scam designed to steal gas fees or lure victims into more elaborate traps. Always treat such comments as fraudulent and avoid interacting with them.