Don't enter a stranger's seed phrase, split a shared flat through the courts, pay the dermatologist and claim it back
After the Binance hack, chats are sharing photos of a 'found wallet' with a seed phrase. It's a trap: a bot takes the money
On 31 October, two days after the Binance exchange was hacked, the same notice appeared in three Russian-speaking chats: 'Wallet found near the Cathedral… Will return it free of charge.' The photo shows a slip of paper with twelve words: a seed phrase, which unlocks a crypto wallet and gives control of the money in it.
Chat members were quick to explain the scam. Whoever sees the note enters the phrase into the MetaMask wallet app, sees money there and tries to withdraw it. But paying the transaction fee requires the network's own coin (ETH, BNB, TRX), and the wallet has none. The victim sends some from their own account, and a bot takes everything the moment it arrives.
“Someone imports the phrase into MetaMask, tries to withdraw something, and the wallet has no native coin (ETH, BNB, TRX) to pay the fee. They send a coin over for gas, and at that very second a bot takes everything.”
Translated from Russian; the original is at the linkru_Portugal_pt31.10.2026
Don't enter a stranger's seed phrase or send a single cent to a 'found' wallet to cover the fee: that money goes straight to the scammers.
The hack itself was discussed too: on 29 October, cryptocurrency worth billions of dollars was taken from Binance's hot wallets, the ones permanently connected to the internet. In the chats and on Reddit, estimates ranged from $3.5 billion to $6.3 billion, and people wrote that Tether and Circle had frozen part of the stolen funds. After the news, one Reddit user logged into their Binance account and found that about €300 had disappeared from it back in July. Support said the money had been sent to Paysafe (Skrill), even though the user had never had an account there. Replies pointed out that keeping money on an exchange is risky: an exchange is for swapping euros for cryptocurrency and back, while cryptocurrency is kept in a hardware wallet, a separate device.
“Exchanges are for changing ordinary money into crypto and back; crypto is kept in hardware wallets. Good luck with all this.”
Translated from Portuguese; the original is at the linkr/literaciafinanceira30.10.2026
Her ex won't sell their shared flat or buy her out: Reddit advises a court action to divide it and a free lawyer
A 28-year-old woman lived with her partner for seven years; they have a four-year-old son and share custody equally. They bought a flat together in May 2022 and split up at the start of 2025. Since then he has wanted to keep the flat but has been in no hurry to buy out her share, and he refuses to go to the bank, lawyers or accountants. She asked on Reddit what her rights are.
The answers were almost unanimous: since the flat is registered to both of them in equal halves, one owner's wishes alone decide nothing. The way out is a court action to divide jointly owned property (ação de divisão de coisa comum): the court will order either a buy-out of her share at a valuation or a sale of the flat with the proceeds split. If she cannot afford a lawyer, she can apply for free legal aid through Segurança Social. It is granted to people who cannot afford to go to court, including foreigners with a valid residence permit, and the decision comes within 30 days (the service page on gov.pt). A lawyer in the thread, however, doubts she will get back in full the money she borrowed to pay for the flat.
“I'm a lawyer. The first thing that comes to mind is an action to divide jointly owned property; it will unblock the issue with the flat. As for the rest, I doubt you'll get all the money back: I think you'll lose out financially here. But if you gain peace of mind, some would say it's worth it.”
Translated from Portuguese; the original is at the linkr/literaciafinanceira30.10.2026
“You can ask for a state-appointed lawyer through Segurança Social. It's free. The flat is yours too. The court will decide whether to sell it or whether he pays you your share.”
Translated from Portuguese; the original is at the linkr/literaciafinanceira30.10.2026
In another thread, a divorced man is weighing up whether to buy his ex-wife's half of the flat for €150,000 and let it out, or to sell it and invest the money. Most advised selling: peace of mind is worth more than rental income. One commenter pointed out that on a take-home salary of €1,300 a bank is unlikely to lend him that much.
“The first problem I see: on 1,300 take-home you won't get a loan for that amount. The repayments would be more than 50% of your income.”
Translated from Portuguese; the original is at the linkr/literaciafinanceira29.10.2026
No dermatologist appointments on insurance: Reddit advises paying for the visit yourself and claiming it from the insurer
For years, a 31-year-old Reddit user has gone to private CUF clinics on Multicare insurance without ever having to wait for an appointment. Now, for the second day running, he has been unable to book a dermatologist: no doctor is available under an agreement with his insurer. Replies say it has been like this for about two years: dermatologists hardly ever work under agreements with insurers or with ADSE, the civil servants' health scheme. A doctor who does not work in the private sector suggests that insurers pay too little per appointment, citing €8 in paediatrics.
“I'm a doctor and I don't work in the private sector, so correct me if I'm wrong. But I think that under these agreements with insurers the doctor is paid very little, so it hardly pays for them, even if they get more patients. In paediatrics I've heard of 8 euros per appointment.”
Translated from Portuguese; the original is at the linkr/portugal30.10.2026
The most common advice is to book as a private patient and send the bill to the insurer. For one person this means €70 instead of €15; another's insurer refunds half. Agreements are signed for a year at a time and the lists of doctors on websites are not kept up to date, so people advise checking by phone. On the SNS, the national health service, one person in the Porto area waited two years for a dermatologist. Health insurance, people write, has gone up by more than 20% this year.
“Dermatology has been like this for about two years at every private clinic. The solution is to book as a private patient and ask the insurer for a refund. Yes, it works out much more expensive: in my case 70 instead of 15. But I found no other solution.”
Translated from Portuguese; the original is at the linkr/portugal30.10.2026
“I don't know what dermatology on the SNS is like in the Lisbon area, but in the Porto area I had to wait two years, even though we asked for a hospital outside our area where the queue was shorter. Forget it.”
Translated from Portuguese; the original is at the linkr/portugal30.10.2026
Before paying for an appointment, ask your insurer whether it will refund a doctor outside its network and how much: it depends on the policy.
Private schools take the top 37 places in the school rankings. Reddit argues: do they teach better or pick the strongest?
On 30 October the school rankings based on the 2025 final exams came out. The top places again went to private schools in and around Porto; the best state school, the Conservatório de Música do Porto, is only 38th (our report on the rankings). The news drew more than 170 comments on Reddit.
Some argue that the rankings compare pupils, not schools: a private school chooses whom to admit, and its pupils have better conditions and private tutors, while a state school takes everyone. They compare a private school of 300 pupils with a state school of 3,000 and point out that most of those who get into university with the top mark, 20 out of 20, went to state schools. Others reply that private schools have more discipline, higher expectations and more attention for each child, and that parents give up holidays and a new car to pay for it.
“Rankings assess exam marks, not the work that's been done. A private school selects its pupils, it has better conditions and tutors. A state school takes everyone, it has a huge number of problems, and sometimes the aim is just to get through compulsory education.”
Translated from Portuguese; the original is at the linkr/portugal30.10.2026
“It's not about inflated marks: they have the best average exam scores in the country. Usually there's more discipline, higher demands and more attention, which is very hard to achieve in a state school. And many parents sacrifice holidays, a better car and other comforts to pay the fees.”
Translated from Portuguese; the original is at the linkr/portugal30.10.2026
A former pupil of Grande Colégio Universal, top of the rankings, says it was great to study there up to year 9, but in the upper years there was pressure to deliver results: pupils who fell behind were advised to leave, and those who did not want to study medicine or law were ignored. When choosing a school, it is worth asking what it does with pupils who start to fall behind.
“I did primary and secondary at Grande Colégio Universal. Up to year 9 everything was really great: the attention and care from all the teachers were exceptional. In secondary it was different: there was pressure to keep the results up. Anyone who ‘missed the train’ was advised to leave the school.”
Translated from Portuguese; the original is at the linkr/portugal31.10.2026
Living alone in Porto without a car costs €1,400–1,600 a month, Reddit reckons, and more than half goes on rent
A young woman who works in central Porto still lives with her family. She wants to ask for a pay rise so she can move out, but she has no car, so she needs somewhere near public transport. On Reddit she asked how much she would need to earn to live on her own.
The most detailed breakdown: rent €900, household bills €100, food €250, transport €100, gym €35, going out and the unexpected €100, savings €150. That makes at least €1,600 take-home, and anything below €1,400 is 'impossible'. Another reply says €1,500 is enough if you find a place for €600, though even that was called a generous estimate. One user thinks anything under €1,800–2,000 is just surviving. Another has lived alone for three years on about €1,400, but without extras.
“Rent €900, household costs €100, food €250, transport €100, gym €35, leisure and the unexpected €100, savings €150. I'd say €1,600 minimum! You can do it on less, but with big sacrifices. Under €1,400 is impossible, in my view!”
Translated from Portuguese; the original is at the linkr/literaciafinanceira30.10.2026
“I've been living on my own for three years and it's always come to about €1,400, but there wasn't much room to splash out.”
Translated from Portuguese; the original is at the linkr/literaciafinanceira30.10.2026
“1,800–2,000 net; less than that is just surviving…”
Translated from Portuguese; the original is at the linkr/literaciafinanceira30.10.2026
People also advised deciding first where to live: cheap housing far from work can mean an hour and a half's journey each way.
