Identify the destination correctly
A transfer needs more than a familiar ticker. Confirm the asset, destination network, receiving address and any required memo or destination tag. A receiving service may support one network version of a token while rejecting another.
On-chain settlement and an exchange credit are separate steps. A transaction can be included in a block while a custodian is still waiting for its required confirmations or processing a deposit.
Why a familiar address in your history can be misleading
Address poisoning tries to turn transaction history into an address book. An attacker introduces a lookalike address through an unsolicited transfer or misleading token record, hoping you will copy it for a later payment. Trezor documents zero-value records and imitation tokens among these tactics. Matching the beginning and end of an address is not enough to establish that the destination is the same.
Obtain payment instructions through an independently verified recipient or receiving service, then compare the complete destination before signing. A suspicious incoming record alone does not establish that your private key was exposed. Do not follow a link attached to an unfamiliar token to investigate it.
Five-minute practice: spot the changed address
This is a fictional, offline comparison exercise. Do not connect a wallet or send funds. Spaces below separate groups for reading; they are not part of an address. These example strings are not payment destinations.
A — recipient instructions in the exercise: 0x7a21 1234 5678 90ab cdef 1234 5678 90ab cdef 91c4.
B — a new history entry: 0x7a21 1234 5678 90ab cdef 2234 5678 90ab cdef 91c4.
Minute 1: cover the middle groups. Both would appear as 0x7a21…91c4 in a shortened display. Can that view tell you whether they match? Minutes 2–3: compare every group and mark the difference. Minute 4: write down where you would obtain the destination for a real payment. Minute 5: list the checks that matching an address would still leave unanswered.
Answer: B changes the middle group 1234 to 2234. The shortened versions conceal that difference, so copying B from history would not reproduce A. In a real payment, independently verify the recipient instructions and compare the full destination in the signing screen or trusted device display. You must still confirm the asset, supported network, amount, required memo or tag, and fees. An address match alone does not answer those questions.
Understand the fee
Networks charge for limited processing and data capacity. On Ethereum, gas measures computational work and is paid for under the network’s fee rules. A contract interaction may require more work than a simple transfer.
A quoted fiat value is an estimate based on an exchange rate. The native-asset fee and that estimated dollar amount can change independently. An unsuccessful contract execution can still consume gas because validators performed work checking it.
Read before you confirm
For a learning exercise, inspect a public transaction explorer without connecting a wallet. Locate the transaction identifier, status, sender, recipient, block and fee. Notice the distinction between a token transfer record and the transaction that caused it.
When making a real transfer, verify instructions directly with the receiving service. A small test transfer can reveal an incorrect setup, but it does not eliminate every risk. Never treat a screenshot of a transaction as equivalent to checking the actual network record.
Calculate a network fee
For an illustrative transaction using 21,000 units of gas at an effective price of 15 gwei per unit, the fee is 315,000 gwei, or 0.000315 ETH. This is arithmetic using hypothetical inputs. A contract interaction can consume a different amount of gas, and the effective gas price changes with conditions.
A maximum fee setting is a spending ceiling per unit, not necessarily the final paid fee. An exchange’s withdrawal charge is also not necessarily the fee it pays to the network. Compare the quote, the final transaction receipt and any separate service charge before describing a transfer as cheap or expensive.
Trace a transfer without exposing secrets
Identify the network, destination, asset and any required memo or tag. After broadcasting, use the transaction identifier with an explorer for that same network. Distinguish pending, successful and failed execution. A failed contract call may still consume a network fee because computation was performed.
An exchange may also require confirmations and internal processing after a transaction appears on-chain. If support is needed, share the public transaction identifier through the service’s verified support channel. A seed phrase or private key is not needed to inspect a public transfer.
Sources & further reading
- Ethereum gas and fees
- Ethereum transactions
- Trezor: address poisoning, lookalike addresses and verification
Educational content. Examples are illustrative. Protocols, products and rules can change; consult the linked documentation for current details.