Before you send bitcoin, compare the complete destination address with a trusted source, check the amount and fee on your wallet’s final review screen, and stop if anything differs. After sending, use the transaction ID (TXID) to check whether the transaction was broadcast, included in a block, and later confirmed. These checks reduce avoidable mistakes, but they cannot prove that a recipient is honest or guarantee when a transaction will confirm.
Before entering or scanning a Bitcoin address
Get the address from a trusted source
Use a saved, verified contact or a fresh payment request from the recipient. If payment instructions arrive unexpectedly or an address changes, pause and confirm the details through a channel you already trust—not by replying to the message that supplied the new address.
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Be especially cautious about copying an address from transaction history. In an address-poisoning scam, someone sends a transaction from a lookalike address so it appears among your recent transactions. Later, you may copy that similar-looking address instead of the intended recipient’s. Bitcoin.org advises checking the entire address and preferring a saved address book over transaction history: Bitcoin.org’s “Avoid Scams” guidance.
Treat QR codes as input, not proof
A QR code can make entering an address easier, but it does not establish who controls that address. After scanning, check the address and any amount the wallet fills in against the recipient’s trusted instructions. Bitcoin.org explains QR codes as a way to receive payments in its payment overview.
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Verify the full address and payment details before approving
- Compare every character of the destination address. Check it against the trusted source, not just its first and last characters. A plausible-looking address can still belong to someone else.
- Check the network or payment type. Confirm that your wallet’s selected option matches the recipient’s instructions. Wallets and services differ in which address formats they support; investigate a compatibility warning rather than overriding it. See Bitcoin.org’s wallet feature overview.
- Review the final wallet prompt. Confirm destination, amount, and fee on the screen immediately before signing or sending. Cancel if any detail differs from what you intended. Bitcoin.org recommends reviewing transaction prompts in its scam-prevention advice.
- For a first payment or a large transfer, consider a small test. Send a modest amount first and wait for the recipient to confirm receipt before sending the rest. A test is an extra safeguard, not a substitute for checking the full address; Bitcoin.org discusses this precaution in its FAQ.
Bitcoin payments should be treated as irreversible for practical purposes. If you send funds to a valid address controlled by the wrong person, they may be permanently inaccessible; there is no ordinary payment reversal process. Bitcoin.org explains the risk in its scam guidance and FAQ.
What a hardware wallet can—and cannot—check
A hardware wallet can keep signing isolated from an internet-connected computer, and devices with suitable displays can let you review transaction details before approval. You still need to compare the displayed destination with the trusted address and judge whether the recipient is legitimate. A device cannot determine whether the person receiving payment is trustworthy. Bitcoin.org describes hardware wallets as one wallet-security option in its wallet security guidance and wallet feature overview.
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Check a transaction after sending
Find the transaction ID
Save the TXID shown by your wallet after it sends the transaction. Enter that ID in the wallet’s transaction view or a blockchain explorer to look up what the service can see. An explorer is a lookup tool: it does not verify the recipient’s identity, prove that the address belongs to the person you intended, or change the transaction.
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Understand broadcast, inclusion, and confirmations
- Broadcast or pending: The wallet has sent the transaction to the Bitcoin network, but it may not yet be included in a block.
- Included in a block: The transaction has been recorded in a block.
- Confirmations: Subsequent blocks add confirmations. A merchant or recipient may wait for a chosen number before treating a payment as final. BIP 70 discusses merchants waiting for sufficient confirmations, but the appropriate threshold depends on the context; there is no universal confirmation count for every payment. See BIP 70.
Confirmation timing is not guaranteed. Fees relate to transaction data size rather than simply the amount sent, and a higher fee can encourage faster confirmation, but network demand and other conditions affect when a transaction is included. Bitcoin.org covers fees and confirmation timing in its payment guidance.
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Stop if anything looks wrong
- The recipient’s address changes unexpectedly: pause and reconfirm through an established, trusted channel.
- The wallet’s final destination does not match the complete trusted address: cancel the transaction.
- The amount or fee differs from your intention: do not approve the prompt until you understand the difference.
- Anyone claiming to be support asks for your seed phrase or private key: stop communicating. Never disclose either secret; Bitcoin.org says legitimate support will not ask for them in its scam guidance.
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