How to verify a token contract address before you send
You verify a token contract address by matching it to the project's verified website and official social accounts, then checking the network in your wallet.
Vahe HakobyanEditor-in-chief
Updated Oct 6, 20263 min readFact-checked
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A token contract address belongs to a smart contract on a blockchain. The same token name can appear on several networks, and anyone can create a token that copies another project's name. The checks use the project's own sources first, then public explorer data, then your wallet.
What does verifying a token address mean?
A token contract address is the address of a smart contract that creates tokens on a blockchain. A smart contract is code that can receive, hold and send assets. Verifying means matching the token you want to the project's official contract on the correct blockchain.
What do you need before you start?
A project can change its contract, and old posts or ads may still show the old address. The ERC-20 standard, introduced in 2015, is a common token standard on Ethereum.
How do you verify the contract address?
Do every check before you send, swap or approve, because a confirmed transaction is usually irreversible. A transfer on the wrong network often cannot be recovered through normal wallet tools.
- 1Open the explorerSearch the contract address on a blockchain explorer for the network the project lists, and confirm the page shows the same name, symbol and decimals the project lists.
- 2Check the networkOpen your wallet and confirm it is set to the same network as the token contract.
- 3Compare the addressOpen the token's details in your wallet and compare the contract address character by character with the official address. Do not paste it into the send field, which expects a recipient address.
- 4Confirm before you sendOnly after the address and network match, continue with the send, swap or approval.
What should you do after verifying?
Save the official contract address and the network it uses somewhere you can find it again. Your wallet keeps a record of token approvals. Review those approvals and revoke any you did not intend to grant.
- Treat a new token from a search result as a different contract until you verify it.
- Use the same explorer and wallet checks for each new token.
- Check the network again before a future swap.
- Keep your notes on the contract address with the network name.
Frequently asked questions
Names and symbols are not unique. The contract address is what separates tokens, so compare the address.
Yes. A migration can create a new contract, so confirm the current address on the project's verified website.
No. The label usually means the explorer published the contract's source code, not that the token is safe.
Your wallet is probably on another network, or it is showing a lookalike token. Check the network, then compare the address.
