With HoloFuel launching by November 1 and the HOT-to-HoloFuel swap becoming available, we're already hearing about a new surge of scam activity aimed at our community: people impersonating our team, counterfeit websites, and messages promising early or "bonus" access to the swap. Launches are when scammers are most active, because they know people are excited, expecting news, and ready to act quickly.
We want everyone who wants to access HoloFuel to stay safe. Here are some reminders and guidelines to help you operate safely.
The Short Version
Our only official domains are holo.host, holochain.org, holoventures.io, and unyt.co.
No one from our team will ever message you first.
We will never ask for your seed phrase, private keys, or passwords.
You will never need to send HOT, or anything else, to a person or a wallet address in order to "receive" HoloFuel.
Only install Unyt Accounting software from links in the official announcement on holo.host.
Most importantly, if anyone is rushing you, SLOW DOWN! Urgency is a scammer's favorite tool. There is no pressing deadline. Take your time, and be sure to do things right.
Let us clarify the part about the timeline -- we will be keeping the HOT to HoloFuel 1:1 swap window open for at least 6 months, and possibly longer. The main reason for someone to swap now is if you want to pay for hosting with HoloFuel. Otherwise, there is no rush. HOT is still the token that has trading pairs on lots of exchanges and greater liquidity. We don't know if or when HoloFuel will have its own paths to liquidity.
Only Trust Our Official Domains
Every official Holo, Holochain, and Unyt site uses one of these domains:
Holo Hosting: holo.host
Holochain: holochain.org
Unyt Accounting: unyt.co
Holo Ventures: holoventures.io
Official sites may also use subdomains of these, such as blog.holochain.org. The key is that the official domain must be the very last part of the address before the first single "/". For example, swap.holo.host would be ours, but holo.host.swap-portal.com is not (that site belongs to swap-portal.com). Also watch for lookalikes such as h0lo.host, holo-host.io, or holofuel-swap.com. None of those are ours.
A few habits that help:
Bookmark our official sites and navigate from your bookmarks rather than from links in messages.
Don't click sponsored search results. Scammers buy ads for terms like "HoloFuel swap" that appear above the real results.
The padlock isn't proof. "https" means your connection is encrypted, not that the site is legitimate. Scam sites have padlocks too, so always check the domain name itself.
Watch Out for Impersonators
We have already received reports of people masquerading as our team members on Telegram, in the Holochain Dev Community on Discord, and on other social media. Impersonators copy real names, profile photos, and bios, and on Telegram and Discord display names don't need to be unique. A common pattern is for a fake "admin" or "support agent" to send you a direct message right after you post a question in a public channel.
Other red flags include:
"Support" groups or help desks you were invited to by someone you don't know.
Giveaways and "airdrops," especially anything asking you to send tokens to get more back.
Offers to help you swap early, at a better rate, or with a bonus.
Anyone guaranteeing returns or price movements for HOT or HoloFuel.
Our Promise: No one from Holo, Holochain, or Unyt will ever message you first, ask for your seed phrase, private keys, or passwords, ask you to send tokens to "verify," "validate," "sync," or "unlock" your wallet, or ask you to share your screen or install remote-access software. If someone does any of these things, they are not us.
Be Skeptical of Emails and Links
Emails can disguise the address they were sent from, and links can display one address while taking you somewhere else entirely. Before acting on any email, make sure it actually came from one of our official domains, and that any links lead to our official websites, not imposter sites. Hover over a link (or long-press on mobile) to see where it really goes. When in doubt, don't click; go to holo.host directly and look for the same announcement there.
The same applies to QR codes. Don't scan codes from unsolicited messages, images, or posts.
Know Where the Real Swap Information Lives
Instructions to access HoloFuel or to swap HOT to HoloFuel will be published in official announcements on holo.host. If you see swap instructions, contract addresses, or "swap portals" anywhere else, be skeptical -- verify them against the official announcement before doing anything.
No legitimate swap step involves sending HOT to an individual or to an address someone gave you in a DM, comment, or group chat. Only use the "Transfer In" function within the Unyt accounting app which will connect you to the correct smart contracts to bridge L1 HOT on Ethereum to L2 HOT on Unyt.
Read before you sign. Wallet prompts can ask you to approve a site to spend your tokens. A malicious approval or signature can let a scammer drain your wallet later, without any further action from you. If your wallet asks for an approval or signature you didn't expect, or for an "unlimited" amount, reject it.
You have time. Take a moment to verify. Any message telling you that you'll lose your tokens unless you act quickly should be treated as a scam.
Install Software Only from Official Sources
Do NOT install software that anyone sends you, nor from a link someone sends you.
To use HoloFuel, you will need to install the Unyt Accounting software, which performs the mutual credit accounting for it. Only install Unyt from the links provided in the official announcement on holo.host.
Be wary of browser extensions, mobile apps, "updates," "patches," or "fixes" that claim to be from us but didn't come from those official links. App store listings can be faked too.
Never paste commands or scripts into your terminal or browser console because someone asked you to.
If checksums or signatures are published alongside an official download, verify them before installing.
If you install unknown software or run third-party scripts on your machine, you are risking key theft, malware, spyware, or other malicious tools taking over your device.
Protect Your Keys and Seed Phrase
Your seed phrase and private keys are your funds. Anyone who has them can take everything, and there is no way to reverse it.
Never type your seed phrase into a website, form, chat, or app that you didn't install yourself from an official source.
Don't store it as a photo, in a notes app, in email, or in cloud storage. Keep it offline.
Consider a hardware wallet for significant holdings.
If you like to experiment with new apps and sites, use a separate wallet that holds only what you can afford to lose.
If Something Goes Wrong
If you think you've clicked a bad link, signed something suspicious, or exposed your seed phrase:
Stop interacting with the site, app, or person immediately.
Move any remaining funds to a brand-new wallet with a new seed phrase, created on a device you trust.
Revoke token approvals you don't recognize, using a token approval checker such as the one on Etherscan.
Beware of recovery scams. People offering to "recover" lost crypto for a fee are almost always scammers themselves, and they often target people who have just posted about losing funds.
Report it. Report impersonator accounts to the platform they're on, and let us know at [email protected] so we can warn others.
Stay in the Loop
The best defense is knowing where real announcements come from. Official news about the HoloFuel launch and the HOT swap will be published on the Holo blog. The Holo Telegram channel is the best place to chat with us and other community members. You can also stay up to date by following @H_O_L_O_ on X. If you're ever unsure whether something is legitimate, ask in our public channels, never in private messages.
Stay safe, and we'll see you on November 1.
Disclaimer: HOT is a utility token representing a pre-sale claim on Holo hosting capacity. This content is informational only and does not constitute financial advice, an offer to sell, or a solicitation to buy any token or financial instrument.
