AddressPoisoning

A variation of dusting scams involves scammers creating wallet addresses that closely resemble the beginning and ending characters of legitimate addresses frequently used by a targeted wallet owner. The goal is to confuse the user into mistakenly sending funds to the wrong address during unrelated transactions. Here’s how this scam works:
How the Scam Works
1. Creating Similar Addresses
Scammers generate wallet addresses that mimic the structure of legitimate addresses the user has previously interacted with. They focus on replicating the first and last few characters, as these are the parts users often rely on for verification.
2. Sending Dust Transactions
Small, seemingly insignificant amounts of cryptocurrency (dust) are sent from these fake addresses to the victim’s wallet. This populates the wallet’s transaction history with the scammer’s deceptive address.
3. Manipulating Future Transactions
When the user later tries to send funds to a familiar address, they may mistakenly select or copy the scammer’s look-alike address from their transaction history, unknowingly transferring funds to the scammer instead of the intended recipient.

Recognizing the Scam
1. Unfamiliar Transactions
Watch for small, unexpected transactions, especially from addresses that look similar to those you regularly interact with.
2. Partial Address Matches
Scammers rely on the fact that many users only check the first and last few characters of a wallet address for verification. Always examine the entire address closely.
3. Suspicious Patterns
If you notice a series of transactions with similar but slightly altered addresses in your history, it could indicate a dusting scam.

How to Protect Yourself
1. Use Address Book Features
Many wallets allow you to save frequently used addresses. Use this feature to avoid relying on past transactions to find addresses.
2. Verify Entire Addresses
Before sending funds, double-check the full address, not just the first and last few characters.
3. Be Wary of Recent Transactions
Avoid blindly copying addresses from your transaction history, especially if they were part of unsolicited deposits.
4. Manually Manage Important Addresses
Keep a secure list of verified addresses you regularly transact with to avoid selecting the wrong one.

By paying close attention to transaction details and practicing careful verification, you can protect yourself from these scams that exploit small lapses in attention to misdirect funds.

#ScamAwareness $POL #DustingScam #AddressPoisoning