# Address Poisoning

An old trick that still catches even experienced users off guard. Recently, a prominent influencer lost 126,000 TON after sending them to a scammer's address. Here's how it works and how to protect yourself.

### ✍️ What is address poisoning?

Scammers create **clone addresses** that look almost identical to addresses you've interacted with—they share the same **first and last characters**.

They send **tiny amounts** (e.g. 0.0001 TON) to your wallet so that their fake address appears in your **Activity** feed.

When you send funds later, you might copy the recipient's address from history out of habit—and end up sending everything to the scammer's wallet instead.

### 🥷 How it works?

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
**Clone addresses**

Scammers generate addresses that match the beginning and end of addresses you've already sent to or received from.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Poisoning your history**

They send a small transfer (e.g. 0.0001 TON) to your wallet so their fake address shows up in your transaction history.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Wrong copy**

When you go to send funds, you copy the recipient from history and confirm—sending your funds to the scammer.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

### 🕵️ How to protect yourself?

#### Anti-poisoning in MyTonWallet

**MyTonWallet** includes **anti-poisoning** protection. The wallet automatically detects transfers from scammers who generate addresses with the same initial and final characters and marks them with the **"Scam"** label, so you can spot fake addresses in your Activity feed.

#### Other steps you can take

* **Verify the full address**, not just the first and last characters.
* **Use the Saved Addresses feature** for people and services you send to often.
* Make sure **Hide Tiny Transfers** is turned on in **Settings → Assets & Activity** so scam transfers are less likely to appear in your feed.

{% hint style="danger" %}
**Blockchain transfers can't be reversed.** Double-check every address before you confirm.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="warning" %}
If an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Stick to basic [**security rules**](/intro/scams/how-to-protect-yourself-from-fraud.md) to protect your funds.
{% endhint %}


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