How to spot a lookalike Web3 name
Scammers rarely break anything. They register a name that looks like the one you expected and wait for someone to type it.
Scammers rarely break anything. They register a name that looks like the one you expected and wait for someone to type it.
A name with one letter changed, doubled or removed. It reads as the right one at a glance.
The same name on a different ending. The name is familiar, the ending is not the one the person actually uses.
l and 1, O and 0, rn and m, or letters from another script that look identical.
Someone announces a “new official name” for a project or a person and asks you to use it from now on.
Take it from the person’s official page or from a message you started, not from a reply or a link someone sent you.
Read it letter by letter including the ending, and compare it with a copy you already trust.
Paste the address rather than typing it, so a typo cannot change it.
Send a very small amount and ask the recipient to confirm it arrived before sending the rest.
For anything of value, confirm the name by another route, such as a call or a different account.
Any message that says “we have moved, send to this new name” should be confirmed through a channel you already trust before you act on it. Urgency is a pressure tactic, not a reason to hurry.
If you use a name for payments or a project, tell your audience exactly which full address is yours and where it is published. Publish it on your site and in your profiles, so people can compare against one source. Guide 02 covers other scam patterns around Web3 names.
No. Names are first come, first served on each ending. Registering the obvious variations of your own name is one way to reduce the risk.
Each provider has its own rules. For a name used to deceive people, report it to the provider with the evidence.
A name proves control of a wallet only. Use a second channel and a small test payment to confirm who you are dealing with.
Not by itself. Lookalike characters exist in most scripts. Guide 11 covers the checks.
The catalogue lists 36 endings, each with example addresses and what they suit.