How it works
- You send funds to an address you trust, for example your exchange deposit address or a supplier.
- The scammer sees that on the public blockchain and generates an address whose first and last few characters match it. Most wallets and explorers shorten addresses to exactly those characters, like
0x71C7…976F. - They send you a tiny amount, a zero-value token transfer or a fake token from the lookalike, so it appears in your transaction history right next to the real one.
- Later you copy the address from your history instead of from the source, and pay the scammer. Blockchain payments can't be reversed.
Nobody needs your keys and nothing is "hacked". It works purely on the fact that people compare only the start and the end of a long address.
How to spot it
- Unexpected tiny or zero-value transfers from addresses you don't recognise, often just after you made a payment.
- Two near-identical addresses in your history. Compare the middle characters, not just the ends.
- Tokens you never bought appearing in your wallet, sometimes copying the name of a real stablecoin.
How to stop it
- Never copy an address from your transaction history. Copy it from the source every time: the exchange's deposit screen, the invoice, or your address book.
- Use your wallet's address book (contacts / whitelist) for addresses you pay often, and pay from there.
- Check the whole address, or at least several characters from the middle, before you confirm.
- Paste it into a checker first. VerifiedWallet's free check compares the address with every verified wallet and listed company wallet, and warns you if it only looks like one of them. The browser extension does the same with a right-click.
- For large payments, send a small test first and have the recipient confirm it arrived.
For businesses
If your customers pay you in crypto, they're the target: scammers poison them with lookalikes of your address. Getting a Business certificate and listing your wallet in the directory means anyone who checks a lookalike is told it isn't yours. Exchanges and wallets can run the same check on every withdrawal through our free API.
Sign once with your wallet: free, no transaction. We counter-sign it and give you a link anyone can verify. From $1.
More guides
How to check who owns a crypto wallet
Addresses don't carry names. Here's what does tell you who's behind one.
Is this crypto address a scam? Check before you send
A one-minute checklist before any crypto payment you can't undo.
Crypto proof of funds: how to prove you hold it
A balance anyone can see, plus a signature only you can make.
Verifying a counterparty's wallet before an OTC deal
Make sure the wallet really belongs to who you're trading with.
Questions
Can address poisoning steal funds directly from my wallet?
No. It can't move anything by itself. It only works if you copy the scammer's lookalike address and send funds to it yourself. Ignoring the junk transactions and copying addresses from the source keeps you safe.
Should I interact with the dust or fake tokens?
No. Don't send them back, don't try to sell fake tokens and don't visit sites they mention. Most wallets let you hide them.
How does VerifiedWallet detect a lookalike?
When you check an address, we compare its first and last characters with every address verified with us and every listed company wallet. If an unverified address matches a verified one that way, we warn you and show the real one so you can compare.