Why are Random Tokens Appearing in my Wallet?

It is fairly common for projects in crypto to 'airdrop' tokens in the wallets of users. This is done to either spread the distribution of tokens or to advertise the token to users, but it can also be a scam.

A lot of the time, the amount of airdropped tokens you receive depends on how much Ether (ETH) or other token you had in your wallet at a specified block. Some airdrops drop the same amount of tokens to everyone, while others can be distributed to users of a specific protocol or people who already owned a different, related token in the past. Projects like decentralized exchanges or NFT platforms distribute tokens to their early adopters, investors, and supporters. This is known as Retroactive Airdrops.

Remember that your Ethereum address is public on the blockchain, even if your name or other information is not associated with it. It's possible to program a smart contract on an EVM chain like Ethereum so that it sends tokens to every address that fulfills a parameter, like holding a certain amount of a certain token. That's why receiving airdrops does not necessarily mean that the sender knows who you are or intended to send the tokens to YOU personally, but you should remain vigilant because airdrops can be used to scam crypto users.

Because token creators have the ability to airdrop their tokens to a wide range of addresses, even all existing wallet addresses, that means that random, unsolicited tokens and NFTs can appear in your wallet without your knowledge. The token itself doesn’t negatively affect the wallet or the overall security, however, it can be used in a way that can.

For example, scammers can create a DApp or another crypto platform where they will offer to trade the airdropped tokens for tokens with higher value. However, to do that you would need to connect your wallet to this platform and give certain permissions, which then gives the scammers access to move all of your assets out.

Another way of using airdropped tokens for scams: when you try to send or exchange the tokens, the transaction will fail, but the gas will go to the scammer's wallet. Finally, scammers can encourage you to interact with your airdropped token or NFT in some way, and collect your wallet information in the process, tricking you into giving up your keys or giving them access to your NFT marketplace account.

That’s why it is always a good rule of thumb NOT to interact with unknown assets. It's not possible to 'delete' tokens from an address, but you can hide unwanted tokens in some interfaces – in MEW Mobile app, just click on the token entry and choose 'Hide token'. In the Collectibles section of MEW Mobile, you can mark some of your NFTs as favorites to have them show up on the top of the screen, and hide the rest.

Many scams work by having you interact with a malicious token or contract, so it's a good idea in general to be aware of any approvals that you make with your wallet. Whenever a DApp requests that you give an approval or permission, carefully consider whether you trust the platform and try to understand what you are giving approval for. Generally, avoid interacting with any web DApp that you are not familiar with, and remember that if it seems too good to be true – it is. And of course never, ever give your wallet keys or phrase to anyone.

For more tips on staying safe in crypto, see our articles:
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​Pro tips: how to avoid phishing and scams

Seeing unexpected or strange transactions in your wallet

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