🎯 Airdrop Scam is one of the most insidious schemes in the world of cryptocurrencies, especially since it looks… like a gift. Who would refuse free tokens? But, as grandma used to say: "a gifted token is not examined in the code — and for nothing!"
🚩 What is Airdrop Scam?
This is a situation where scammers send a suspicious token to your wallet, supposedly as a "gift", "reward" or bonus for participating in a contest. The goal is to make you interact with the token, and then…
…or drain money from you,
…or hack your wallet,
…or make you sign a harmful transaction.
🧨 How does the scam work?
1. "Get free tokens"
Scammers launch a token and automatically distribute it to thousands of addresses taken from the blockchain (public wallets). You see: "Oh, I received 5000 $SCAM in my wallet!"
2. Curiosity takes over
You open your browser wallet (MetaMask, Trust Wallet), see the token and try to:
sell it,
exchange it for another currency,
visit a site that was "recommended" by a block explorer or Google.
3. You click, sign the transaction — 💀
The site is fake, the wallet asks you to sign something under the guise of "approve" or "claim" — and that's it. After that your wallet:
The web drains all tokens,
or provides full access to your assets to a third party.
🔒 How to protect yourself?
🔐
Do not interact with suspicious tokens. Do not sell or transfer them. Ignore "wins" you did not participate in, it's phishing. Do not sign transactions on unfamiliar sites. Especially via WalletConnect. Check the token's smart contract on TokenSniffer, GoPlus. Filter tokens in your wallet, some wallets allow you to hide them. Use a separate wallet for experiments, keep your main wallet "clean".
🧠 A real-life example
In 2023, the token "USDT Rewards" appeared. People were massively receiving tokens with names similar to the official Tether. When trying to click — redirected to a clone website. One signature — and everything disappears. Losses reached thousands of dollars.
🧹 What to do with the token you have already received?
Ignore it. Just leave it in your wallet. Don't touch it.
Hide it. If your wallet supports hiding, keep it out of sight.
Create a new wallet. If you've already signed something — transfer the funds to a new, secure one.
💬 Summary
If the token fell on your head — don't rush to rejoice, it might be a brick wrapped in candy.
