Safety Tips for the Upcoming Stake Pool Testnet & Beyond


In recent months we have been quite busy with the rollout of the Shelley testnet, of which more information can be found here.

This will inevitably trigger a lot of talk on the forums about staking, delegation and stake pools. So we wanted to update you on what this new phase in Cardano’s development means for your online security and the safety of your ada.

A number of community members have previously shared their plans to set up stake pools and have engaged with other community members about it. We are happy to see the chat and excitement around the plans for staking. If you want to participate in the Stake Pool Best Practices chat on Telegram, join here. If you’d like to get more involved in the testing program, you’ll also find a pinned survey. Please register your interest by filling it in.

However, we request that you do not promote or advertise staking services in this Forum or other official Cardano community channels. We reserve the right to remove any posts which violate this rule. Please remember that this forum is a community resource and not an advertising platform. It is also very early on in the staking rollout; it isn’t yet technically possible, so no one should be offering delegation services at this point and we want to minimise the potential for scams, fraud or any kind of misrepresentation. Thanks for your understanding and cooperation in this.

We are not currently aware of any attempts to defraud through promotion of fake stake pool operations. But we’d ask the community to be vigilant.

Once staking is officially launched on the network, we’ll be sure to let you know. Community members will be able to view and select from a balanced and detailed interface of available stake pools will be available within Daedalus wallet. We’ll also be looking at how we can help support responsible stake pool operators in their wider marketing activities.

:warning: So here are the golden rules regarding your online safety and security. :warning:

  • As always, please be wary of any individuals or groups claiming to have a functioning stake pool. During the testnet phase, staking/delegating with real ada is NOT YET possible. For Phase 3 - Incentivized Testnet Staking & Delegation, more info will follow shortly.
  • Please do not send your ada to anyone claiming to run a Cardano stake pool; that is not how staking works
  • Any staking pool that is ASKING or REQUESTING you to send them your ada is a SCAM. For delegating your stake you DO NOT NEED to send anyone your ADA
  • Do NOT click on suspicious random stake pool links and please report any concerns you may have

Please take note that you (the user) are fully responsible for your own actions: the Cardano Foundation or any of its partners cannot be held responsible for any damages to your funds (or the loss thereof).

Please also see this forum post about “How to be safe online?” and our previous announcements on how to avoid getting scammed.

Last but not least, please help us out by educating your surrounding community members, friends and family. Thank you very much for your continued support and understanding.

If you have any questions regarding the above, please do not hesitate to ask us! :slight_smile:

Stay safe & remain vigilant!

The Cardano Community Team

14 Likes

I have serious question where can I ask

Start a new topic in https://forum.cardano.org/c/communitytechnicalsupport

So why so many people run node in jodmugandr? Is there any reward?

Yes, most of them intend to run stakepools.