What is an address poisoning scam?
Quick Answer
Scammers send tiny transactions from addresses crafted to visually match yours or your contacts', hoping you'll later copy the lookalike from transaction history instead of the real one and send funds to them.
TL;DR
They plant a lookalike address in your history; you copy it by mistake. Never copy addresses from transaction history.
Key Takeaways
- 1Lookalike addresses copy your address's first and last characters
- 2The bait is a tiny or zero-value deposit in your history
- 3Always copy addresses from the source, never from history
- 4Verify more than first/last 4 — check middle segments too
Full Explanation
Wallet apps shorten addresses for display — something like bc1q4x...9k2f. Scammers exploit this by generating vanity addresses that match your real addresses at the start and end, then 'poisoning' your transaction history with dust transfers from them. Later, when you copy 'your' address or a frequent recipient's from history, you may grab the lookalike — and send real money to the scammer.
The defense is a habit change, not a tool: never copy addresses from transaction history. Take the receiving address from the source every time — your wallet's Receive screen, the exchange's deposit page, or your verified address book. When verifying, compare more than the first and last four characters, since those are exactly what the scammer matched; spot-check segments in the middle too.
Hardware wallet users have an extra shield: the device screen shows the true destination at signing time, immune to anything displayed by a compromised computer. And a test transaction before any large transfer remains the universal insurance — it costs cents and catches this entire scam family.