Seed Phrase Red Flags
Eight short scenarios. One question each time: should the advisor do this? The pattern you're training is simple — a professional never asks for, accepts, photographs, or stores a client's seed phrase or private keys. The skill is recognizing the moment when an ordinary conversation drifts toward that line.
The protocol, in one place
- Never ask for, accept, read, photograph, or store a seed phrase or private key — not in a file, an estate binder, an email, or a phone call.
- If a client offers one, decline clearly and explain why: anyone who has seen it is a standing risk to the client, including you.
- Recovery planning belongs in a written process that never exposes key material — who does what, in what order, with what professional help.
- When real custody, inheritance, or recovery work starts, that's a referral to a qualified Bitcoin custody adviser — not an advisor task.
- Document what you declined to handle. The note protects you and the client.