How To Avoid Fake Cryptopunks and Common NFT Scams

You see a CryptoPunk priced at 0.5 ETH. Looks exactly like the real ones. Same 24×24 pixel art, same punk aesthetic. Your heart races because this feels like the deal of a lifetime.

Then you check the contract address. It doesn’t match.

That quick check just saved you from losing hundreds or thousands of dollars.

Fake NFTs and scams are everywhere now. The NFT market is worth billions, and scammers follow the money.

CryptoPunks, being one of the most valuable collections out there, get copied more than almost anything else. But here’s the good news: once you know what to look for, spotting fakes becomes second nature.

Let me walk you through exactly how to protect yourself.

What Actually Makes An NFT Fake?

A fake NFT isn’t just a bad drawing. It’s a token minted without permission, often using stolen artwork or impersonating a real collection.

The blockchain records that the token exists, but it doesn’t check whether the person who minted it actually owned the art.

This is the loophole scammers exploit.

With CryptoPunks specifically, fraudsters deploy brand new smart contracts, copy the images, and list them on marketplaces hoping someone won’t look closely. The name might be “CryptoPunk” spelled slightly differently. The picture looks identical. But it’s all fake.

The Most Common NFT Scams You’ll Run Into

Fake Websites and Phishing

This is the biggest one. Scammers build websites that look exactly like OpenSea, Blur, or Magic Eden. You connect your wallet thinking you’re logging in, but you’re actually permitting them to drain everything you own.

The fake site might even show your balance to look convincing. But the moment you approve that transaction, your NFTs are gone.

Fake Airdrops and Giveaways

Someone messages you on Discord or Twitter. “Congratulations! You’ve won a free mint for a new CryptoPunks derivative. Just connect your wallet to claim.”

You didn’t enter any contest. Real projects don’t message random people out of nowhere. But the excitement makes people let their guard down.

Impersonator Accounts

Scammers create Twitter or Discord profiles that look exactly like official support staff. They reach out saying there’s an issue with your account and ask for your seed phrase to “fix” it. Real support will never ask for your seed phrase. Never.

Wash Trading

Someone buys their own NFT from themselves using different wallets to create fake volume. The collection looks popular, so you jump in. Then they dump everything and disappear.

How To Verify A Real CryptoPunk (Step By Step)

This is the most important part. Follow these steps every single time.

Step 1: Find The Official Contract Address

Go to the official CryptoPunks website or their verified social media accounts. The real contract address is public and verified. Bookmark it so you don’t have to search every time.

Step 2: Compare Before You Buy

On the marketplace listing, look for the contract address. If it doesn’t match the official one exactly, walk away. Not a single character can be different.

The project name, images, and token IDs can all be faked. But the contract address is stored on the blockchain forever and can’t be changed.

Step 3: Use Etherscan To Dig Deeper

Plug the contract address into Etherscan. Check when the contract was created. Real CryptoPunks were minted years ago. If the contract is a few days or weeks old, it’s a scam.

Look at the transaction history too. Real collections have years of activity. Fake ones usually have nothing or very recent transactions.

Step 4: Check For The Blue Check

On marketplaces like OpenSea, verified collections have a blue checkmark next to the name. This isn’t a guarantee on its own—scammers have found ways around verification before—but it’s a good first filter. No checkmark? Be extra careful.

Step 5: Look At The Price

If a CryptoPunk is listed for 0.1 ETH when floor prices are 40 ETH, something is wrong. Scammers price things ridiculously low to catch people looking for bargains.

Beyond CryptoPunks: Safety Habits That Protect Everything

Never Share Your Seed Phrase

No platform, no support agent, no “helpful” stranger will ever need your 12 or 24 word seed phrase. Anyone who asks is trying to steal from you. Keep it written down offline and never type it anywhere digital.

Use A Hardware Wallet

A hardware wallet like Ledger keeps your private keys completely offline. Even if you connect to a fake site, the scammer can’t drain your wallet without physical confirmation from the device. It’s the best money you’ll spend on security.

Revoke Unused Approvals

Every time you connect to a marketplace or mint site, you give permission for that site to move your NFTs. Scammers can use permissions you forgot about. Go to Revoke.cash every few months and remove permissions from sites you don’t use anymore.

Bookmark Everything

Type marketplace URLs yourself or use bookmarks. Never click links from Discord messages, emails, or Twitter DMs. Scammers buy ads that show up at the top of search results too. Those ads sometimes lead to fake sites that look perfect until it’s too late.

What If You Think You’ve Been Scammed?

If you connected to a fake site or signed a bad transaction, disconnect your wallet immediately. Move any remaining assets to a fresh wallet. Revoke all permissions for the compromised wallet.

Be aware that once an NFT is transferred out of your wallet, getting it back is almost impossible. Blockchain transactions don’t reverse. This is why prevention matters so much more than recovery.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get my money back if I buy a fake NFT?

Rarely. Blockchain transactions are final. Your best protection is verifying before you buy.

Are all cheap NFTs scams?

Not all, but extremely cheap listings for valuable collections are huge red flags. A real CryptoPunk won’t be 99% below floor price.

What’s the safest marketplace to buy NFTs?

OpenSea, Blur, and Magic Eden are the major trusted platforms. But even on these, fake collections exist. Always verify the contract address yourself.

Do I need to worry about NFTs in my wallet that I didn’t buy?

Yes. Scammers sometimes send random NFTs to wallets as bait. Interacting with them—trying to sell or transfer them—can trigger a malicious contract. Just ignore them or hide them from view.

Final Thoughts

The NFT space moves fast, and scammers move just as fast. But they rely on one thing: you not checking the details.

The moment you start verifying contract addresses, checking creation dates, and ignoring random DMs, you become a much harder target.

Take the extra two minutes before every purchase. Compare the address. Look at the history. Trust your gut when something feels off.

Have you ever come across a suspicious NFT listing that looked too good to be true? What made you pause and double-check it? Share your experience in the comments—it might help someone else avoid the same trap.