How the scam works
Address poisoning sends you a tiny or zero-value transfer from an address that looks almost identical to one you use often — same first and last characters. Later, when you copy an address from your history, you may grab theirs by mistake and send funds straight to the attacker.
Why it fools people
Most wallets shorten addresses to the first and last few characters. Attackers generate a vanity address that matches those exact characters, so a quick glance cannot tell them apart.
How to protect yourself
Never copy addresses from transaction history. Use a saved address book, verify the full string character by character, and send a small test amount first for large transfers. A security tool that flags look-alike addresses adds another layer.