What to Do Immediately After Your Wallet is Drained
The first 24 hours are critical. If your MetaMask or Phantom wallet was emptied, do not panic. Follow these exact steps to maximize your chances of recovery.
GeoHotz Threat Research
Security Advisory Team
Stop the Bleeding
The moment you realize your wallet has been compromised, your first instinct might be to move your remaining assets. Stop. If your device is infected with a keylogger or clipboard hijacker, the attacker is watching your screen. Immediately disconnect the infected device from the internet.
Do not attempt to log into your other accounts from the same device. Use a completely separate, clean computer or phone to begin damage control.
Trace and Report
Use block explorers like Etherscan or Solscan to track exactly where the stolen funds went. Do not interact with the hacker or send them messages on-chain; this only alerts them that you are active, prompting them to move the funds through a mixer.
Once you have the destination address, contact a professional recovery agency. Law enforcement requires court-ready forensic reports to issue subpoenas to centralized exchanges. If the hacker attempts to cash out through Binance or Kraken, a rapid legal injunction can freeze their account before the funds are withdrawn.
About GeoHotz Threat Research
Our elite team of reverse-engineers and security analysts publish weekly advisories on emerging threats, blockchain exploits, and extortion defense strategies. We monitor the dark web so our clients do not become statistics.