Address poisoning explained (and how to avoid it)
A scam that doesn’t need a fake wallet or your seed phrase — just your habit of copying addresses from history.
Security Guides · 6 min · Updated Jun 2026
Address poisoning doesn't steal your keys. It exploits how we copy-paste crypto addresses — by planting a lookalike address in your transaction history so you send funds to the attacker by mistake.
How the scam works
The attacker generates an address whose first and last characters match one you transact with often. They send you a tiny (or zero-value) transaction, so their lookalike address now appears in your history. Later, when you copy a “recent” address to send funds, you grab theirs — the middle characters differ, but who checks the middle?
Why people fall for it
Wallets shorten addresses to 0x1234…abcd, and we verify only the ends. Address poisoning is built precisely around that shortcut.
How to be immune
- Never copy an address from your transaction history. Get it fresh from the recipient each time.
- Use an address book / allowlist for addresses you reuse, labelled and saved deliberately.
- Verify the full address, or at least more than the first and last few characters.
- Send a small test amount first for large transfers.
It starts with a real wallet
Good habits only help if your wallet itself is genuine. Install from the official source and verify the download first.
Frequently asked questions
What is address poisoning?
A scam where an attacker plants a lookalike address (matching the first and last characters of one you use) into your transaction history, hoping you copy it by mistake and send funds to them.
Does address poisoning steal my private keys?
No. It doesn’t touch your keys or seed phrase. It relies entirely on you copying the wrong address from your history.
How do I avoid address poisoning?
Never copy addresses from your transaction history, use a saved address book, verify the full address, and send a small test amount before large transfers.