How to check a wallet before sending crypto: warning signs

Crypto payments cannot be reversed. If you are about to send money to someone you do not know, whether from a marketplace listing, an online job, a chat with a new contact or an investment offer, looking at the receiving wallet first is a sensible habit. This page explains what that look can and cannot tell you.

What a wallet's history can tell you

Everything on a public blockchain is visible: when a wallet first appeared, what it sent and received, which other addresses it dealt with, and which of those are known exchanges or apps. What it cannot show is who controls it or what they intend to do with your payment.

Six warning signs

1. The address is not exactly the one you were given. Attackers create addresses that start and end with the same characters as one you use. Compare the full address, character by character, and be careful with look-alike names as well.
2. The wallet is brand new but the story says otherwise. If someone claims to be an established seller or trader, a wallet created days ago with almost no activity does not fit. Hopchain's "Active" line shows how long a wallet has existed and when it was last seen. New alone proves nothing, but it should make you slow down.
3. It is linked to flagged addresses. Hopchain marks connections that appear in public lists of scam, phishing and exploit addresses in red. Our list is small (roughly 160 addresses) and does not cover Ethereum mainnet or Base, so a missing flag means very little. A flag, on the other hand, is worth taking seriously.
4. Money comes in from many wallets and leaves to one. Many small incoming payments from unrelated wallets, quickly forwarded to a single destination, is a typical pattern for wallets that collect victims' money. It is also how some legitimate businesses and exchanges look, so treat it as a reason to look closer, not as a verdict.
5. Its history is full of spam. Unsolicited tokens or NFTs with website addresses in their names are common on every active wallet, so this alone is normal, but a wallet that sends such tokens to many others may be the source. See fake airdrops and spam NFTs.
6. The pressure comes from outside the blockchain. Urgency, requests to move the conversation to a private chat, promises of guaranteed returns, or a request to "verify" by signing something or entering a seed phrase are the strongest red flags of all, and no wallet check will show them.

How to run the check in Hopchain

1. Paste the address on the home page.
2. Read the "Active" line: how old is it, and is it still in use?
3. Look for red flagged connections and check the connections list for names you recognise.
4. Expand a few connections to see what actually moved and in which direction.

Habits that help more than any check

• Send a small test amount first and confirm it arrived before sending the rest.
• Confirm the address through a second channel you trust, not the same chat that gave it to you.
• Check that you are sending on the right network. A token sent on the wrong chain can be lost.
• Never sign a transaction or message you do not understand, and never share your seed phrase.

This is general information, not financial or security advice. If you think you have already been scammed, stop sending money and consider reporting it to the relevant authority in your country.