Crypto basics
Crypto airdrops: how they work and how to avoid airdrop scams
Projects sometimes distribute free tokens. How legitimate airdrops work, and the warning signs of fake ones.
2026-10-221 min read
An airdrop is a distribution of tokens to many wallets, usually for free. Airdrops are a common way for projects to spread ownership — and a common disguise for scams.
Why projects run airdrops
- To reward early users of a protocol.
- To spread governance tokens among a community.
- To attract attention to a new network or application.
Some well-known protocols have distributed governance tokens to addresses that used them before a certain date, for example Uniswap's UNI in 2020.
How a legitimate airdrop works
- The project announces the rules on its official channels.
- Eligible addresses are fixed (often by a "snapshot" of past activity).
- Users claim through the official website, or tokens arrive automatically.
A legitimate claim never requires you to send funds first or to share your seed phrase.
Warning signs of airdrop scams
- Unknown tokens appear in your wallet with a message to "visit a website to claim". Interacting with them can lead to a malicious site.
- The claim page asks you to sign a permission for all your tokens or NFTs.
- You must pay a fee or send crypto to receive the airdrop.
- Urgency: "claim within one hour".
- Messages in DMs rather than announcements on official channels.
What to do with unknown tokens
Ignore them. Do not try to sell or move them, and do not visit websites mentioned in their names. In most wallets you can hide unknown tokens.
XFasil does not run airdrops. The only free rewards on XFasil are Free Coin and Free HiB, and they are claimed on the XFasil website — see the guide.
Blog posts are for education and information only and are not investment, legal or tax advice.