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Category: Hacks → Phishing & TyposquattingHacksPhishing & TyposquattingSupport ImpersonationReading time: 10 minutes
Risk level: High
Target audience: DeFi users, Telegram users

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Meet Adebayo

Adebayo is a 31-year-old day trader who actively uses Uniswap on Ethereum. One day, he’s trying to swap tokens but the transaction keeps failing with a vague error message. He’s frustrated. He posts in a public Telegram crypto trading group:
“Anyone having issues with Uniswap swaps failing? Getting error code 0x12345. Any solutions?”
Within 5 minutes, he receives a direct message on Telegram from an account called “Uniswap_Support”:
“Hey! We saw your message about Uniswap issues. I’m from the official Uniswap support team. Let me help you troubleshoot. What’s the error you’re seeing?”
The account has:
  • A Uniswap logo as the profile picture
  • “Official Support” in the bio
  • A few hundred followers (making it seem established)
Adebayo thinks: “Great! Official support is helping me.”

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What Happened

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Step 1: Building Rapport

The fake support account asks Adebayo detailed questions:
  • “Which wallet are you using?”
  • “Which tokens are you swapping?”
  • “What’s your wallet address?” (for technical investigation)
Adebayo provides all this information. The account seems genuinely helpful—it’s asking exactly the questions a real support person would ask.

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Step 2: The Solution Offer

The fake account says:
“I see the issue. There’s a bug in the router contract that’s affecting your wallet. The fix requires you to approve a new contract that will route your transactions correctly. It’s a one-time approval.”
They send a link to what they claim is an official Uniswap fix site. The URL looks legitimate: uniswap-fix.io (a fake domain, but with the Uniswap name). Adebayo clicks the link. A professional-looking page explains the “router fix” and asks him to connect his wallet. He connects.

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Step 3: The Approval

The page requests an approval to “enable the new router contract.” The MetaMask popup shows:
“Approve [contract address] to spend your tokens?”
Adebayo approves, thinking he’s fixing the issue.

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Step 4: The Drain

Within seconds, the “fix” site goes offline. His wallet starts draining. The approval he granted was not for a legitimate fix but for a malicious contract that now has access to all his tokens. Adebayo lost ₦800,000 in the drain.

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Where the Scammer Won

  • Referencing a real problem: Adebayo was frustrated and posted publicly. The scammer exploited that genuine issue.
  • Authority impersonation: A fake “official support” account seemed credible.
  • Plausible solution: A contract fix sounded like a real technical solution.
  • Isolation from community: Moving to DM isolated Adebayo from others who might have warned him.

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Red Flags Adebayo Missed

  • Official support never DMs first. Legitimate support teams respond in public channels or via verified official accounts.
  • The account age and followers weren’t verified. Adebayo didn’t check if the account was officially recognized.
  • The “fix” required an approval. Real bug fixes would be deployed on the official platform, not requiring user approvals.
  • The domain was new and unverified. uniswap-fix.io is not an official Uniswap domain.

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How Support Impersonation Scams Work

What happens: Scammer monitors Telegram/Discord groups for users reporting problems or asking for help.
What happens: Scammer creates fake support account with official branding, logo, and “Official Support” in bio.
What happens: Scammer DMs victim claiming to be official support, offering to help with their reported issue.
What happens: Scammer asks technical questions, seems knowledgeable, builds rapport by appearing helpful.
What happens: Scammer provides link to fake “fix” site that requests wallet connection and token approval.
What happens: Once approval granted, malicious contract drains all tokens from victim’s wallet.

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Prevention

Block all unsolicited DMs offering help with wallet issues.
Report fake support accounts immediately to the platform.
Contact support via official channels only: the official website, verified social accounts, or email.
Verify account legitimacy: Check if the account is verified by the platform or listed on the official website.
Never approve contracts from support links: Real support teams don’t send links requiring approvals.

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If You Already Connected and Approved

1

Revoke Approvals Immediately

Use Revoke.cash or EtherScan’s token approval tool.
2

Move Remaining Funds

Create a new wallet and move all remaining funds immediately.
3

Report the Fake Account

Report to Telegram/Discord for impersonation.
4

Report the Site

Report the fake site to ChainAbuse.
5

Warn the Community

Post in the group where you originally asked for help to warn others.

Grant Phishing + Wallet Drainer

See how typosquatting and approvals lead to wallet drains

Hacks Category

Explore all types of phishing and technical exploits

Check Your Wallet

Verify if addresses are reported as malicious

Report a Scam

Report fraudulent support accounts and addresses

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References

  1. Uniswap - Official Support Channels
  2. Telegram - How to Report Impersonation
  3. ChainAbuse - Report Scam Addresses