The Address in My Wallet Turned Out to Be Fake?... 'Address Poisoning' Alert Spreads

▲ Virtual assets, cryptocurrency wallet, cryptocurrency address, address poisoning/ChatGPT-generated image

As address poisoning attacks that cleverly exploit users’ transfer habits instead of stealing private keys to siphon virtual assets continue to surge, the complacent security practice of checking only the first and last characters of complex blockchain addresses is being identified as a critical cause of asset loss.

According to cryptocurrency-focused media outlet Cointelegraph on February 19 (local time), the recently rampant address poisoning attacks employ sophisticated tactics that allow hackers to intercept assets without directly stealing users’ private keys. Attackers analyze a user’s past transaction history and generate fake addresses that closely resemble frequently used wallet addresses in both the beginning and ending characters. They then send a very small amount of cryptocurrency or worthless tokens to the user’s wallet from the fake address, leaving a transaction record and inserting their address into the user’s transfer history.

These attacks succeed because blockchain addresses are long and complex, leading many users to compare only the first and last few characters before copying and pasting an address instead of verifying the entire string. Using address-generation tools, attackers create vanity addresses that are visually indistinguishable from a user’s regular transaction counterparties. Users then select what appears to be a familiar address from their transaction history and end up transferring their assets directly to the attacker’s wallet.

Address poisoning attacks are occurring widely across major networks such as Ethereum (ETH) and Bitcoin (BTC), targeting users’ psychological blind spots rather than technical vulnerabilities. Security experts emphasize that users should carefully verify every character of an address before sending funds or register frequently used addresses in their wallet’s address book for safer transactions. They also advise immediately ignoring zero-dollar transactions or suspicious token transfers and refraining from copying addresses from transaction histories when such anomalies are detected.

As the virtual asset market moves through the first quarter of 2026 and seeks greater institutional integration, these security threats are becoming a significant factor undermining investor confidence. Although individual losses may range from several thousand to tens of thousands of dollars, the cumulative global damage is snowballing as cases continue to mount. On-chain analytics firms such as Santiment have warned that address poisoning attacks are being carried out at scale through automated bots, calling for heightened vigilance among investors.

Virtual asset security has moved beyond purely technical safeguards to a stage where users’ meticulous verification habits determine survival. Just as safeguarding private keys is essential, maintaining a healthy skepticism toward the authenticity of addresses appearing in transaction histories is equally critical. To counter increasingly sophisticated phishing tactics, strict adherence to fundamental security practices—such as greater use of hardware wallets and habitual address verification before transactions—is more important than ever.

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