Etherscan Adds Beta Lookalike Address Warning to Its Ethereum Explorer

Etherscan announced a beta warning for lookalike addresses Oct. 23, alerting Ethereum explorer users when similar-looking strings appear together and helping them spot address-poisoning attempts.

Called the Lookalike Address Warning (Beta), the feature is enabled by default. Users can turn it off in Site Settings. It can also flag harmless addresses, so a match is not proof of fraud.

Address poisoning takes advantage of shortened wallet displays. An attacker creates an address resembling a legitimate recipient, then uses a small transfer or spoofed token event to place it in a transaction history. Because long addresses are often abbreviated, a user may mistake the planted entry for a familiar one and send funds to the wrong destination.

The warning highlights similar-character addresses when they appear on the same explorer page. Etherscan said, “Always verify the destination address before sending funds.”

Etherscan’s other safeguards include hiding zero-value token transfers by default, highlighting similar addresses and prompting users before they copy addresses tied to suspicious activity.