Look-alike addresses: why checking the ends is not enough
A planted address can match the first and last characters of one you use. Here is how to catch it (sample note).
Check the whole address, four characters at a time
Fourfold Wallet is a self-custody wallet for people who would rather be careful than fast. Before every send it compares the address group by group, so a look-alike that copies only the ends is stopped.
Saved contact: Sam (sample)
- 1fq7k
- 22m9x
- 3r4ta
- 4wd8e
- 5h3nc
- 66vlp
- 7y5gu
- 80sj2
Just pasted
- fq7kgroup 1 matches
- 2m9xgroup 2 matches
- b8uegroup 3 does not match
- tz4ngroup 4 does not match
- qq71group 5 does not match
- ma0cgroup 6 does not match
- y5gugroup 7 matches
- 0sj2group 8 matches
Groups 3 to 6 do not match. This is not Sam’s address: stop, and ask Sam on a number you already have.
Sample characters, not a real address. Fourfold Wallet (sample) shows every address this way, so you compare all of it, not only the ends.
A wallet, not an investment
Crypto-assets can lose most or all of their value, quickly, and payments cannot be reversed. Nothing on this site or in the app is financial advice: we help you send carefully, never tell you what to buy or hold.
Four checks before every send
In this order, every time. Most take a second; the pause takes ten, and only for an address you have not used before.
1
Address check
Every group of four characters is compared with the address you saved, so a look-alike that only copies the ends is caught.
2
Network check
If the address belongs to a different network from the coins you are sending, the app stops and explains before anything moves.
3
The ten-second pause
A first send to a new address waits ten seconds and asks three short questions about where the address came from.
4
A small test send
For a new contact the app suggests sending a small amount first and waiting until they confirm it arrived.
A backup you have actually tested
A paper copy of your recovery words only helps if it is complete, readable and in order. The backup drill checks that while nothing is at stake: once a week after set-up, then once a month.
- Twelve words, written by hand, shown once
- A monthly restore drill that moves nothing
- A reminder you can snooze, never switch off
Nobody genuine will ever ask for your recovery words: not support, not a friend, not a bank, not us.
What Fourfold never does
Four promises that are built into the app, not written into a policy.
Crypto-assets can lose most or all of their value, quickly, and payments cannot be reversed. Nothing on this site or in the app is financial advice: we help you send carefully, never tell you what to buy or hold.
Sell, swap or price coins
There is no buy button, no exchange, no charts and no price alerts in the app or on this site.
Ask for your recovery words
Not in support, not in email, not to ‘verify’ or ‘sync’. Anyone who asks is trying to take what you hold.
Message you first
Support only answers questions you send from the app or this site. A message that starts the conversation is not us.
Keep your words on a server
Your keys and words stay on your phone and on your paper. We could not recover them for you if we wanted to.
Three tricks that beat a quick glance
Each one relies on you checking only the first and last few characters, or on being rushed.
Look-alike in your history
A tiny payment arrives from an address that copies the start and end of one you use, so it sits in your history ready to be copied by mistake.
The tell: It matches at the ends and nowhere else.
Clipboard swap
Harmful software on a phone or computer replaces an address you copied with its own between copy and paste.
The tell: The pasted groups differ from the ones you copied.
Fake support
Someone answers your public question within minutes and sends a link that asks for your recovery words.
The tell: Support that found you, instead of you finding it.
Safety notes
Short notes on scams we see, habits that help and changes in the app. No price talk, ever.
The ten-second pause, and the three questions in it
Why the app makes you wait before a first send to a new address (sample note).
Run a backup drill before you need one
A paper copy you have never tested is a hope, not a backup (sample note).
Plain answers
The questions people ask before they install a wallet, answered in a sentence or two.
Is the app free?
Yes. Fourfold Wallet (sample) is free to download and every safety check is free. An optional supporter plan pays for the team; network fees for a send go to the network, not to us.
Can I buy crypto in the app?
No. The app does not sell, swap or price coins, and it never will. If you buy crypto elsewhere: Crypto-assets can lose most or all of their value, quickly, and payments cannot be reversed. Nothing on this site or in the app is financial advice: we help you send carefully, never tell you what to buy or hold.
What if I lose my phone?
Install the app on a new phone and restore the wallet from your paper copy of the recovery words. Without the words, nobody can restore it, including us.
Can support see or move my coins?
No. Your keys never leave your phone. Support can explain what a screen means and what to do next, nothing more.
Do I need an account?
No account, no email and no phone number to use the app. If you write to support, we keep your message for 90 days (sample).
Is this advice on what to hold?
No. We explain how to send and keep things carefully. Whether to buy or hold anything is your decision, and you can lose all of it.
Check before you send
Fourfold Wallet (sample) is free on iPhone and Android. It holds your keys on your phone and runs the four checks before every send.