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Too many scams out there, too many fake accounts, all they want is your money. I experienced it again!
I had been using PancakeSwap for awhile without any issues. Few weeks ago, I noticed that I wasn't able to claim reward from the app. But since I had no plan to sell the coin, I simply pretended I didn't see the problem.
As you all know, recently, some coins are doing really well, including one of the coin that I have. So I decided to swap some of it to other coins, and then realized that I couldn't even do the swap with the app. I need to fix the problem asap.
Not knowing what went wrong, last night, I went to twitter trying to get support from PancakeSwap team as I've been following them. Seconds after my twitter for help, I received a response from an account named "PancakeSwap #BSC HelpDesk". He asked me to DM him.
I cautiously looked up this account and saw it had over 1000 followers, and it had been twitting but in a language that is completely unknown to me. The account seemed to be logic. So I sent a direct message to this account.
After knowing my problem, the account asked me when was last time I tried the app. I responded just few minutes ago. It then told me that they are aware some of their users experienced this issue but it had been fixed. It asked me to validate my wallet in order to fix the problem. It kept on reassuring me that as soon as the wallet is validated, everything will be alright!
It then sent me a link of "smartwaletconnect.co" and asked me to get my wallet validated using the WalletConnect API and urged me to try that right away. The API looks almost the same as the wallet connect we've been using. But if you look at the name carefully, you will notice that there is a "l" missing on word "wallet". Too bad that I didn't catch it last night.
After I clicked on the link, it requested me to enter mnemonic word of the wallet. Didn't feel right, I stopped right away. When I checked with my friends about it, I was told that if I give away these mnemonic words, I am giving my money away! With help from my friends, I fixed the wallet problem and can use PancakeSwap without any issues now.
Today, when I checked twitter account and found that the fake account has been suspended, in less than a day since I spoke with him! Obviously someone probably reported this account before me.
I am sharing my experience to increase awareness of scammer and their activity. Let's keep in mind that you should never ever give your private key or mnemonic words away. You are accountable for safety of your asset. Also keep in mind, if you ever encounter any issues and need technical support, do go through official channel, instead of social media, as otherwise, you may be asking for trouble yourself.
