How do I verify a company's crypto wallet actually belongs to them?
Never rely on an address pasted in a chat, email or social post. Verify a claimed corporate wallet through at least two independent channels — the company's own verified website or on-chain proof, plus, for larger transfers, checking the entity's legal identity via its LEI and cross-referencing any on-chain address it has publicly attested to.
Why this is a leading fraud vector
Impersonation scams that present a fake but plausible corporate wallet address are one of the most common ways stablecoin transfers are stolen — the transaction itself is completely valid on-chain, so there is no reversal once it's sent. Fraudsters commonly hijack a real company's social media account or spoof a lookalike domain to publish a convincing-looking 'official' address.
The verification steps that actually work
First, get the address from the company's own primary domain, not a link forwarded to you, and check the domain is spelled exactly right. Second, for any meaningful amount, call a known phone number or use an established account contact to confirm the address verbally, separate from the channel that gave you the address in the first place. Third, for institutional-size transfers, confirm the legal entity behind the wallet using its LEI record, which anchors the counterparty to a verified legal identity rather than a brand name someone could impersonate.
- Get the address only from a verified primary source, never a forwarded link
- Confirm via a second, independent channel before sending anything material
- For institutional transfers, cross-check the counterparty's legal entity via its LEI record
- Send a small test amount first for any new counterparty above a meaningful size
Frequently asked
- Can a stablecoin transfer be reversed if I send to a scam address?
- Almost never. On-chain transfers are final; only the issuer's own freeze function against the receiving address could intervene, and only after the fact, if at all.
- What is an LEI and why does it help?
- A Legal Entity Identifier is a globally unique code tied to a specific legal entity, maintained under GLEIF oversight — it lets you confirm exactly who you are dealing with, rather than trusting a brand name alone.