Blockchains are open by design. Anyone can transfer tokens to your wallet address without your permission. That means your Phantom wallet might display tokens you didn’t buy, including scam tokens or low-quality assets pretending to be legitimate.
Not all tokens are what they seem. Some are "verified," while others are "unverified." Understanding the difference is essential to avoid scams, protect your funds, and make informed decisions.
What are verified tokens?
Verified tokens are assets that have been reviewed and approved by a trusted third party. These tokens are considered safe to interact with and are typically associated with real projects.
How to spot a verified token
- Have a purple checkmark badge next to the token's name.
- Ranked higher in search results in the Phantom app.
- Listed on trusted sources like CoinGecko, CoinMarketCap (CMC), or blockchain explorers like Etherscan or Solscan.
- Actively traded with established liquidity on major decentralized exchanges (DEXs).
What are unverified tokens?
Unverified tokens haven’t been reviewed or listed by trusted data sources. Some are legitimate early-stage projects, but many are scams, fake copies, or low-quality assets designed to exploit you.
How to spot an unverified token
When you open an unverified token in Phantom, you’ll see a message:
“This token is unverified. Only interact with tokens you trust.”
This is your cue to be extra cautious.
How to handle unverified tokens
If you see an unverified token in your wallet or before trading one, verify it:
- Open the token page in Phantom and copy its contract address, which can be found under Contract or Mint fields.
- Paste the address into a trusted source:
- CoinGecko
- CoinMarketCap
- Solscan for Solana-based tokens
- Etherscan for EVM tokens
- Look for the following red flags:
- No metadata
- No trading activity
- Single holder
- If you spotted one or more of the red flags, don't interact with the token.
Better yet, if you didn't buy a token and it just suddenly appeared ("airdropped") in your wallet, then don't touch it. Airdrops are a common scam method, and clicking these tokens can expose your wallet to malicious contracts.
Learn more:
FAQ
Why does Phantom list a token as unverified, even if it's verified elsewhere?
Phantom uses a combination of trusted sources to determine whether a token is verified:
- Jupiter’s token list, including Jupiter-verified tokens (which display a green checkmark).
- CoinGecko listings, including tokens that meet their data integrity and volume criteria.
If a token is listed on CoinGecko or verified on Jupiter, it should typically appear as verified in Phantom.
How to turn an unverified token into a verified one?
If a token becomes verified on CoinGecko or added to Jupiter’s verified list, Phantom will automatically update its status to "verified," usually within a short time. There’s no way for users or token creators to manually mark a token as verified.
If you’re confident that a token is legitimate but it’s still showing as unverified, check back later, especially if it was recently listed on CoinGecko or Jupiter.