Crypto scam glossary: flash USDT and wallet terms explained

Short definitions of the words used across this site, each linked to the full guide.

Address poisoning
Planting a lookalike address in your transaction history so you send funds to it by mistake. Read more.
Approval (token allowance)
A permission you sign that lets a contract move your tokens. Drainers abuse it. Read more.
BEP20
The token standard on BNB Smart Chain. BEP20 USDT is Binance-Peg USDT. Read more.
Binance-Peg token
A token on BNB Chain issued by Binance and backed by the original asset Binance holds. Read more.
Blacklist (freeze)
A list in the USDT contract of addresses that cannot send USDT. Read more.
Confirmation
Each block added after the block containing your transaction. Read more.
Contract address
The address of the smart contract that defines a token. The one thing a copy cannot fake. Read more.
Copy token
A token created by someone else with the same name and symbol as a real one. Read more.
Decimals
How many decimal places a token uses. USDT has 6 on TRON and Ethereum. Read more.
Drainer
A contract or script that empties wallets using approvals or stolen keys. Read more.
ERC20
Ethereum’s token standard. Read more.
Escrow
Holding funds until both sides of a deal confirm. Real on exchange P2P; often fake on Telegram. Read more.
Block explorer
A website that shows public blockchain data: Tronscan, Etherscan, BscScan, mempool.space. Read more.
Finality
The point after which a transaction cannot be reversed. Read more.
Flash loan
A DeFi loan borrowed and repaid within one transaction. Real, and unrelated to flash USDT. Read more.
Flash USDT
A scam: a copy token, unconfirmed transfer or fake display sold as USDT. Read more.
Transaction hash (TXID)
The unique identifier of a transaction, used to look it up on an explorer. Read more.
Mempool
The waiting area for transactions not yet in a block. Read more.
Mint
Creating new tokens. Only Tether can mint USDT. Read more.
Multisig and permissions
Requiring more than one key to sign. Abused in the TRON multisig scam. Read more.
P2P trading
Buying and selling crypto directly with another person, often through an exchange’s escrow. Read more.
Parasite SEO
Posting content on trusted websites to rank under their authority. Read more.
Replace-by-fee (RBF)
Replacing an unconfirmed bitcoin transaction with one paying a higher fee. Read more.
Seed phrase (recovery phrase)
The 12 or 24 words that control a wallet. Never share them. Read more.
Stablecoin
A token designed to keep a stable value, usually one dollar. Read more.
TRC20
TRON’s token standard. Read more.
TRON energy and bandwidth
Resources that pay for TRON transactions, bought or burned with TRX. Read more.
Zero-value transfer
A transfer of 0 tokens, used to poison transaction histories. Read more.

How the key terms fit together

From your wallet to a confirmed transfer

Seed phrase

controls your keys and wallet

Contract address

identifies the token

Finality

makes the transfer permanent

Protect the first, check the second, wait for the third.

Where scams attack

Seed phrase

phishing, fake support

Contract address

copy tokens, flash USDT

Finality

pending payments, RBF

Each term in this glossary maps to one of these three points.

Three ideas explain most of the scams on this site.

If you learn only three terms from this page, make them seed phrase, contract address and finality. Almost every scam described on this site attacks one of them: it steals the phrase, fakes the token, or asks you to act before the payment is final.

What is the transaction hash, and where do you find it?

The transaction hash is a unique ID for one transaction on a blockchain. It is a long string of letters and numbers. You can paste it into the explorer for that network to see the full record: sender, receiver, token, amount and status.

Where you areWhere the hash is shown
Trust Wallet, MetaMask, TronLinkOpen the transaction in history, then “view on explorer” or “transaction ID”
Exchange withdrawalWithdrawal history, usually as “TxID”
Exchange depositDeposit history, next to the amount
ExplorerAt the top of the transaction page

A hash is only useful if you check it yourself. See fake transaction IDs.

Contract address meaning, in plain words

A contract address is the location of a token’s code on a blockchain. Every token on TRON, Ethereum and BNB Chain has one. The contract address meaning for you is simple: it is the only reliable name of a token. Names and logos can be copied, the contract cannot. See USDT contract address.

More terms used on this site

Honeypot

A token contract that lets people buy but blocks them from selling. Used to trap buyers on decentralized exchanges.

Liquidity pool

A pair of tokens locked in a smart contract so people can swap between them. A small pool can show a price that nobody could really sell at.

Decentralized exchange (DEX)

A swap service run by smart contracts, such as Uniswap, PancakeSwap or SunSwap. Anyone can list a token, including copies.

Bridge and bridged token

A bridge moves value between networks by locking tokens on one and issuing a representation on another. A bridged token is real but different from the native version.

Mint address

Solana’s equivalent of a contract address. See flash USDT on Solana.

Gas

The network fee paid to include a transaction. ETH on Ethereum, BNB on BNB Chain, TRX energy and bandwidth on TRON.

Self custody

Holding crypto in a wallet where you control the recovery phrase, as opposed to an exchange account.

KYC and AML

Know your customer and anti-money laundering checks done by exchanges. Scammers use these words to invent fees. See fake AML checks.

Permit signature

An off-chain signature that can grant a token approval without a separate transaction. A common drainer method.

Wrapped token

A token that represents another asset one to one, such as WETH for ETH. Copies of wrapped tokens exist too.

Testnet

A practice network where tokens have no value. Used by developers to test code.

Clipboard hijacker

Malware that replaces a crypto address you copy with the attacker’s address.

Hardware wallet

A physical device that stores your keys offline. Buy only from the manufacturer or authorised sellers.

Pig butchering

A long-running scam that builds trust before leading the victim to a fake platform. See fake trading platforms.

Recovery scam

A second scam aimed at people who already lost money, promising to get it back for a fee. See crypto recovery scams.

How to use this glossary when checking a payment

  1. Get the transaction hash.
  2. Open it on the block explorer for the network.
  3. Read the contract address of the token.
  4. Compare with the official one, then check confirmations and finality.

The full routine is in how to check flash USDT.

Questions people ask

What is a contract address?

The address of the smart contract that defines a token. It identifies real USDT.

What is a copy token?

A token that copies the name and symbol of a real one but comes from a different contract.

What is a seed phrase?

The words that control a wallet. Anyone with them controls your funds.

Sources

  1. Ethereum.org: Glossary

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