Lab tool 03

Keep the name you got.

Getting a rare handle is the fun part. Keeping it takes a few calm steps. Score your setup, see why open swaps lose names, and follow the plan day by day.

Score my setup The day-by-day plan
The plan

Day 0 to day 3, and after

For deals with a seller you trust. Don’t know the seller? Use a middleman and lock the account down right away instead.

  1. Day 0

    Log in

    Password, then the 6-digit code. Seeing an 8-digit code? Stop there, don’t retry, and message the seller.

  2. Days 1–3

    Sit tight

    Leave the email, password and phone number exactly as they are. A burst of changes from a new device is what gets accounts flagged. Something off? Ask the seller before touching anything.

  3. Day 3+

    Switch on app 2FA

    Authenticator app on, SMS codes off, backup codes saved offline. Put a security key on the email account too.

  4. Day 3+

    Clear the old doors

    Log out every other session, set your own recovery email and remove any old phone numbers.

  5. Best

    Use an account with history

    Safest of all: move the name onto an account you’ve used for 14+ days. No such account? Meta Verified adds an extra layer against bans.

Score my setup

How safe is your handle?

Four questions. The score shows how hard it would be for someone to take the name back or snipe it.

100%

Watch it happen

The swap race

When a name is freed in an open swap, a bot and a person race for it. Guess who wins.

Sniper bot~15 ms
A fast human, by hand1,250 ms
Whole account handed overnever freed, nothing to race
Hit “Run the race” to see why open swaps lose names.
Read the receipt

Is that welcome email real?

The first welcome email is the account’s birth certificate. Tap a line to see what each header proves. (A sample email, for learning.)

From: security@mail.instagram.com <noreply@mail.instagram.com>
Date: Mon, 14 Nov 2011 18:22:41 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Welcome to Instagram! Confirm your registration
DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; d=mail.instagram.com; s=s1024; [pass]
Authentication-Results: spf=pass (66.220.144.152) smtp.mailfrom=mail.instagram.com; dkim=pass
DMARC-Filter: OpenDMARC Filter v1.4.2 mail.instagram.com [pass: p=reject]
Weak spot, fix

Three ways names get lost

Weak spot

SMS codes

Someone talks your phone carrier into moving your number to their SIM, then resets your login.

Fix

Authenticator app on the account, a hardware key on the email.

Weak spot

Open swaps

The name sits free for up to a second or so, and bots pounce in milliseconds.

Fix

Take the whole account, or move the name live onto an account you’ve used for 14+ days, timed in the chat.

Weak spot

Fake middlemen

Chat bots and copycat profiles pretend to be well-known middlemen and vanish with the money.

Fix

dice only deals through @risktaker. Want a middleman? Pick a known one together and check them yourself.

House rules

Safety questions

What’s a “pullback”?
A seller who kept the first email, an old password or a linked phone number tells the app the account was “hacked” and gets it back. Owning the original email is the best defence, and every dice account comes with its login and original email.
Why are open swaps risky?
A swap frees the name on one account so another can claim it. Bots watch for freed short names and grab them in milliseconds. That’s why moves onto your account are done live in the chat. Digit-only names can’t be moved onto your account at all.
How does dice keep a deal safe?
Each name is checked available before you pay, the whole account comes with its login and original email, and a middleman is welcome on any deal. See how to buy.
I got an 8-digit code. Now what?
Don’t type it and don’t keep trying. It usually means a typo in the password or something else is off. Message @risktaker first.

Ready for a name worth keeping?

Every account comes with its login and original email. Most handovers finish 30–60 minutes after payment.

Open the shop