How do I know whether an airdrop is real?

Find it on the project's own site, navigated to yourself. And never approve access to tokens you already hold.

Real distributions are documented on the project's own site, and many of them simply arrive without any claim step at all. A mandatory claim page is where the risk concentrates.

The decisive test: a genuine airdrop never needs permission over assets you already own. If the transaction is an approval naming a token in your wallet, the thing being claimed is that token — by somebody else.

Where the fakes come from: tokens that appear in your wallet by themselves with a website name in the title, replies under real announcements, sponsored search results, and lists of "upcoming airdrops".

If you want to try one anyway, use a wallet holding nothing but the fee asset. Then a malicious approval has nothing to approve.

Giveaways that are not and wallet drainers explain both halves.

Last checked 19 Oct 2026.