Reaching official sites only through bookmarks
- Author
- CRYPTO PORT Editorial
- Published
- Updated
- Reading time
- 5 min
In short
You cannot tell a fake site by looking at it. What you can rely on is how you got there. Verify each URL once, carefully, bookmark it, and from then on open it only that way.
Key points
- Fake sites buying search adverts is a repeatedly reported pattern
- URLs are faked with one-character changes, different top-level domains and lookalike characters
- A bookmark fixes the route so you are not re-deciding every time
- Never reach anything holding assets via a link in an email, DM or social post
Definition
Verifying the official URLs of exchanges, wallets and DeFi apps in advance, saving them in the browser, and thereafter reaching them only that way.
Fake sites copy the logo, the palette and the wording. Catching one because it 'feels off' is not a workable defence. The URL is the only real signal, but checking it visually every single time is not something people sustain. So do the checking once, carefully, and freeze the result as a bookmark. After that you protect the route, not your judgement.
Do that first check properly. For an exchange, confirm that several independent sources — a regulator's register of licensed operators, the company's corporate site, the developer details in the app store — all lead to the same URL. For a wallet or DeFi app, confirm through the project's official social account (having satisfied yourself that the account itself is genuine) or through documentation you trust. 'It was the top search result' is not evidence, because adverts are for sale.
The fakes are usually subtle: one letter changed, a different top-level domain (.com versus .co), lookalike characters mixed in. Once things are bookmarked, tidy them into a folder with clear names so you are less likely to mis-tap. Sync the same bookmarks to your phone and you will never need to fall back on searching while out.
The operating rule is simple: never enter a screen holding assets from a URL in an email, a DM, a social post or a Discord message. If something really is wrong with your account, going in via your bookmark reaches the same information. Applied mechanically, this removes the need to assess urgent-sounding messages at all.
Watch out for
- · Only create a bookmark once you have verified the URL — bookmarking a fake makes things worse
- · Approval managers and bridges have fakes too; verify them the same way
- · No official site will ever ask you to enter a seed phrase
Frequently asked questions
I saw a notice that a service changed its official domain. How do I verify it?
That notice is itself a classic fake. Open the old URL from your existing bookmark and see whether the same announcement appears there. Then confirm the new URL through at least one independent route — the app store listing, a regulator's register — before you update the bookmark.