Address Poisoning: The Copy-Paste Crypto Scam

How address poisoning works

Scammers watch public blockchains for addresses that send funds to each other. They create a new address whose first and last few characters match an address you use, then send you a tiny or zero-value transfer or a fake token from it. That lookalike address now appears in your wallet history. Because wallets often shorten addresses, it looks familiar. If you copy it from your history for your next payment, the funds go to the scammer and cannot be reversed.

Warning signs of address poisoning

Small or zero-value transfers from addresses you do not recognize.
Tokens you never bought appearing in your wallet, including fake versions of stablecoins like USDT.
An address in your history that matches a known one only at the beginning and end.
New transactions appear right after you send a payment.
Unfamiliar tokens you cannot sell or that a blockchain explorer flags as suspicious.
Your wallet shows addresses only in shortened form, so lookalikes are hard to spot.

How to avoid address poisoning

Never copy a destination address from your transaction history.
Save verified addresses in your wallet's address book and use them.
Check the full address, including the middle characters, before sending.
Send a small test amount first for large transfers and confirm with the recipient.
Use a hardware wallet that shows the full address on its screen for confirmation.
Ignore unknown tokens that appear in your wallet and do not try to trade them.

Sent crypto to a poisoned address? What to do now

Stop and check your remaining saved addresses before sending anything else.
Preserve evidence before anything disappears: screenshots of chats, profiles, websites and app screens, plus receipts, emails, and a written timeline. Do not delete conversations or the app. Save the transaction hash, both the intended and the wrong address, amount, and time.
Contact the exchange you sent from and, if the funds went to an exchange, contact that exchange quickly.
Report it to the FBI at ic3.gov and to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov, even if the amount is small. Include wallet addresses, transaction IDs (hashes), amounts, dates, and every website, app, username, and phone number involved. See /guidance/report-crypto-theft-fbi-ic3.
Learn how tracing works at /guidance/can-stolen-crypto-be-traced.
Watch for recovery scams. Anyone who contacts you offering to get your crypto back for an upfront fee, or who claims to work with the FBI or IC3, is likely a scammer. IC3 says it will never ask for payment to recover lost funds or refer you to a company that does. See /guidance/can-stolen-crypto-be-traced.

Address poisoning: common questions

I sent crypto to the wrong address from my history. Can I get it back?

The transaction can’t be reversed, but act quickly. If the funds reached an exchange, contact it right away. If you sent USDT or USDC, the issuers can freeze addresses: Tether’s policy says freeze requests should come with appropriate legal process, and Circle may block addresses associated with illegal activity. That makes a fast police and IC3 report important. See also sent crypto to the wrong address.

Why did a tiny or zero-value transaction appear from an address that looks like mine?

That is the poisoning. The scammer created a lookalike address and sent it to you so it would appear in your history. Don’t interact with it, and never copy a destination address from your transaction history.

Tokens I never bought appeared in my wallet. Are they dangerous?

Ignore them. Unknown tokens, including fake versions of stablecoins like USDT, are often part of the scam. Don’t try to trade them or visit links in their names.

How can I check an address before I send?

Check the whole address, including the middle characters. Use your wallet’s saved address book, send a small test amount for large transfers, and use a hardware wallet that shows the full address. Our free address checker can also warn you when an address looks like one you’ve saved but isn’t the same.

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This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. ChainWatch is not a law firm and does not guarantee fund recovery.

Sources

The information on this page was checked against the sources listed in September 2026. Laws, agency guidance, company policies and contact details change, so please verify the current information with the original source before you act.