Before you send crypto: the safety pause
Crypto payments usually can't be undone. A one-minute pause is the best protection there is.
Before you send crypto or approve anything in your wallet, stop and check: is anyone rushing you, did you reach the site yourself, are the coin, network, address and amount right, what permission are you granting, and is anyone asking for your seed phrase? If anything feels unclear, don't approve it yet.
The checklist
- Stop. Is someone pressuring you to act right now, or telling you to keep it secret? That alone is a reason to wait.
- Verify the source. Did you go to the exchange, app or website yourself, rather than through a link, ad or message?
- Check the coin and network. Does the receiver support exactly this coin on exactly this network?
- Check the address. Compare the first and last several characters. Malware can swap a copied address.
- Check the amount and fee. For a big amount to a new address, send a small test first.
- Read the permission. Is the wallet asking to send something, or to approve a contract to spend your tokens later? Avoid "unlimited" approvals.
- Seed phrase? If anything asks for your recovery phrase or private key, stop. It's a scam, every time.
- Can you live with it if it's gone? Most crypto transfers can't be reversed.
Not sure what you're looking at? Run it through the scam checker or read what happens when you send crypto.
Frequently asked questions
Can I cancel a crypto payment?
Only before it confirms, and only on some networks and wallets. Once confirmed, it usually can't be reversed.
What is a token approval?
Permission for a smart contract to move your tokens later. Malicious approvals are how many wallets get drained.
Where to next
Sources
Written for beginners and checked against the sources listed. Last reviewed October 26, 2026. This page is educational and is not financial, tax or legal advice. How we write and check pages.