How to verify a swap deposit address is real and not a cloned site

05 September 2026

You verify a swap deposit address by checking you are on the correct website before you copy the address. The cloned site will give you a valid-looking address - but it belongs to the attacker, not to the exchanger.

Why cloned sites exist

A cloned site copies the look of a real exchange or swap service exactly. The attacker registers a domain name that is one letter off, or uses a common misspelling. When you land on it, everything appears normal: the logo, the layout, the deposit address field. You paste the address you intend to send to. It looks real because it is a real blockchain address - just one controlled by the scammer. The swap never happens.

The only reliable check

Before you copy any deposit address, confirm the domain in your browser's address bar. Do not trust a tab you opened from a search result, a link in a chat, or an email. Type the domain yourself, from memory, or use a bookmark you saved when you were sure the site was genuine.

Check for HTTPS and a padlock icon, but understand that cloned sites also use HTTPS. The lock only proves the connection is encrypted, not that the site is honest.

Bookmark the real domain after you first verify it. Use that bookmark every time. Do not search for the site again.

Additional checks that may help

• Examine the domain name character by character. Attackers substitute lookalike letters: a Cyrillic "а" looks identical to a Latin "a". Copy the domain into a plain text editor. If the letters change font or behave oddly, it is probably a fake.
• Check the site's SSL certificate details. Real swap services use certificates issued to their company name. A cloned site usually uses a generic certificate or one issued to a different entity. This is technical to verify, but the option exists in most browsers under the padlock menu.
• Look at the deposit address itself. If you have sent to the exchanger before, compare the new address against your history. A legitimate exchanger may rotate addresses per transaction, so a different address is not automatically suspicious. But if the address matches a known scam address (you can check blockchain explorers for that address's history), do not send.
• Contact the exchanger's official support channel - not the chat widget on the page you are unsure about, but a support email or ticket system you have used before. Ask them to confirm the current deposit address for your swap.

What to do if something feels wrong

Stop. You do not lose anything by waiting. Close the tab. Open your bookmark. Start again.

If you already sent funds to a cloned site, the money is gone. No support ticket, no police report, no blockchain trick will reverse a confirmed transaction. The only thing worth doing is reporting the cloned domain to the real exchanger and to domain registrars so others are less likely to fall for it.

The broader context

This check is one step in a larger habit: verifying every detail before you broadcast a transaction. The hub page "Swapping crypto safely" covers the full set of precautions - wallet hygiene, withdrawal testing, and what to do when a swap stalls. That page is the next thing to read if you want to build a complete routine rather than patch one gap.

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