How do I spot a fake NFT or crypto airdrop?
Fake airdrops and NFT giveaways ask you to connect your wallet and sign a transaction that drains your funds — no legitimate airdrop asks you to pay gas fees or approve outgoing transfers.
Last reviewed: 10 June 2026
Explanation
Airdrop scams exploit the widespread practice in the crypto space of distributing free tokens to wallet holders to build community. Fraudsters announce a fake airdrop impersonating a well-known project and invite holders to 'claim' tokens. The claim process requires you to connect your wallet to a malicious site and sign a transaction. That transaction is not a claim — it is an approval for the fraudster's contract to transfer all the assets in your wallet.
Another variant sends unsolicited NFTs to your wallet. Merely receiving them is harmless, but the NFT's metadata contains a link to a site where you are prompted to 'list' or 'sell' it. That site again asks for a wallet connection and a blanket spend approval.
The gas-fee variant asks you to send a small amount of ETH or BNB first to 'activate' your claim. Once sent, the coins are gone. No legitimate airdrop requires you to pay anything or to sign an approval transaction that grants outbound access to your funds.
Verify airdrops exclusively through the project's official website (typed manually or from a known bookmark) and its official Twitter/X or Discord announcements. Cross-check the contract address against the project's published addresses before signing anything. Use a separate wallet with minimal funds for interacting with new protocols.
Common red flags
- Airdrop requires you to approve a transaction spending your existing tokens
- You must pay gas or a fee before claiming free tokens
- Announcement came via a DM, not official project channels
- Website URL differs slightly from the official project domain
- Transaction involves an unknown contract address not listed on the project site
- Urgency: 'claim expires in 2 hours'
What to do now
- Revoke any wallet approvals you signed immediately using a tool like Revoke.cash or Etherscan's token approval tool
- Verify airdrops through the project's official website only
- Report the fraudulent site to MetaMask or your wallet provider
- Report crypto fraud to Action Fraud (UK), the FTC or IC3 (US), and the project's security team
- Move remaining assets to a fresh wallet address if you connected a compromised wallet
Frequently asked questions
Can I safely view an unsolicited NFT in my wallet?
Viewing it in your wallet is generally safe. The risk is clicking any link embedded in the NFT metadata or on a connected marketplace. Never interact with unsolicited NFTs.
What is a wallet-drainer?
A wallet-drainer is a malicious smart contract that, once approved, can transfer ERC-20 tokens or NFTs out of your wallet. The approval you sign is what grants the permission.
How do I check what approvals my wallet has granted?
Use Revoke.cash or Etherscan's Token Approval Checker. Connect your wallet and revoke any approvals from contracts you do not recognise.