Address poisoning, the scam that hides in your own history
A tiny transfer from a look alike address lands in your wallet, hoping you copy the wrong one next time. How to spot it.
Address poisoning is simple and it keeps working. A scammer watches the chain for wallets that send regularly, then generates an address that starts and ends with the same characters as one you use. They send you a tiny amount, or a fake token, from that look alike address. Now it sits in your transaction history.
The next time you go to send, you open your history, copy what looks like the usual address, and paste it. The first four and last four characters match. The middle does not. The coins go to the scammer.
Where it happens most
It is most common on networks with cheap transfers and popular stablecoins, such as Tron and Ethereum compatible chains. Anyone who moves USDT regularly should assume they will be targeted at some point.
How to stay safe
- Never copy an address from your transaction history. Use your wallet address book, or copy it fresh from the source.
- Check the whole address, not just the start and end. Read the middle part too.
- Send a small test first when the amount matters.
- Be suspicious of zero value transfers or tokens you never asked for.
How SwapPrivate keeps this short
Every swap gets a fresh, one time deposit address, shown on your swap page with a QR code. You never need to copy a deposit address from history, because you should never reuse one. Paste your receiving address from your wallet receive screen, not from an old transaction. More tips in our guide on clipboard malware.
Quick answers
Can address poisoning steal coins from my wallet directly?
No. It cannot move your coins. It only works if you copy the fake address yourself and send to it.
Should I hide or ignore the dust transfers?
Many wallets let you hide spam tokens and tiny transfers. Hiding them is fine. Never interact with them, and never copy an address from that history.
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