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  "id": "counterfeit-stablecoins",
  "canonical": "https://degreesofsatoshi.com/encyclopedia/counterfeit-stablecoins/",
  "collection": "stablecoins",
  "title": "How to identify counterfeit stablecoin tokens",
  "description": "Check whether a token or payment is the real stablecoin claimed, using chain-specific issuer records instead of logos, symbols or displayed wallet values.",
  "aliases": [
    "counterfeit stablecoins",
    "How to identify counterfeit stablecoin tokens"
  ],
  "dates": {
    "published": "2026-10-02",
    "modified": "2026-10-02",
    "verified": "2026-10-02T19:26:58.461Z",
    "dataAsOf": "2026-10-02"
  },
  "authorship": {
    "publisher": "Degrees of Satoshi editorial project",
    "process": "AI-assisted research and drafting with a separate automated source-verification pass; no external expert or named human review is implied."
  },
  "quickAnswer": {
    "text": "A token can copy a stablecoin’s name, symbol or artwork without being issued by that stablecoin’s issuer. Verify the exact chain and contract or mint against an official issuer registry, then inspect the actual transfer. A wallet’s dollar estimate, an unsolicited balance or a convincing screenshot does not authenticate the token.",
    "claimId": "counterfeit-stablecoins-quick-answer",
    "sourceIds": [
      "x425-sc-erc20",
      "x425-sc-circle-addresses",
      "x425-sc-eth-security"
    ]
  },
  "keyFacts": [
    {
      "label": "Names",
      "value": "ERC-20 metadata does not make a token name or symbol globally unique.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "x425-sc-erc20"
      ],
      "id": "names",
      "claimId": "counterfeit-stablecoins-fact-names"
    },
    {
      "label": "Registry",
      "value": "Circle publishes chain-specific USDC identities.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "x425-sc-circle-addresses"
      ],
      "id": "registry",
      "claimId": "counterfeit-stablecoins-fact-registry"
    },
    {
      "label": "Action",
      "value": "Unexpected tokens and links can be part of scams; receipt does not require interacting with them.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "x425-sc-eth-security"
      ],
      "id": "action",
      "claimId": "counterfeit-stablecoins-fact-action"
    }
  ],
  "prerequisites": [
    "stablecoin-contract-addresses"
  ],
  "sections": [
    {
      "id": "authenticate",
      "heading": "Authenticate the asset before the amount",
      "sourceIds": [
        "x425-sc-erc20",
        "x425-sc-circle-addresses"
      ],
      "paragraphs": [
        "Start from the issuer’s official website or documentation, not a link supplied by an unknown sender. Select the exact network and compare the token identifier. A token with a familiar ticker on a different contract is a different asset.",
        "For example, a wallet may display 10,000 units named USDC from an unrelated contract. The displayed quantity proves only what that contract reports, not a claim against Circle’s reserves."
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "payment",
      "heading": "Read the transfer record behind a payment claim",
      "sourceIds": [
        "x425-sc-erc20"
      ],
      "paragraphs": [
        "A transaction can successfully transfer an imitation token. Check the emitting token contract, destination and raw amount with the relevant decimal interpretation. A genuine transaction hash does not make every asset inside it genuine.",
        "Likewise, a wallet valuation can come from unreliable or irrelevant market data. Do not use that valuation as the basis for releasing goods, returning an overpayment or paying an unlock charge."
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "unsolicited",
      "heading": "Receiving a token is not a request you must fulfill",
      "sourceIds": [
        "x425-sc-eth-security"
      ],
      "paragraphs": [
        "An unsolicited token or NFT can contain a lure directing the reader to a website that asks for approval or a signature. Treat the advertised claim process as a new interaction requiring assessment, not a necessary step to remove the item.",
        "Use wallet display controls if you want to hide spam. Do not share recovery phrases or sign an approval merely because a token description says funds must be unlocked."
      ]
    }
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "question": "Does a verified contract prove a stablecoin is authentic?",
      "answer": "No. A verification label does not establish that a token belongs to the issuer named in its branding. Compare the exact chain and contract with the issuer’s official registry.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "x425-sc-erc20",
        "x425-sc-circle-addresses"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "claims": [
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      "id": "counterfeit-stablecoins-quick-answer",
      "articleSlug": "counterfeit-stablecoins",
      "statement": "A token can copy a stablecoin’s name, symbol or artwork without being issued by that stablecoin’s issuer. Verify the exact chain and contract or mint against an official issuer registry, then inspect the actual transfer. A wallet’s dollar estimate, an unsolicited balance or a convincing screenshot does not authenticate the token.",
      "sourceIds": [
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      "sourceLocators": [
        {
          "sourceId": "source-ac4ad503a55127bb",
          "locator": "Token methods and events"
        },
        {
          "sourceId": "source-66270bffe3272787",
          "locator": "Mainnet addresses; Solana"
        },
        {
          "sourceId": "source-83ec2d5a18d94ce1",
          "locator": "Wallet security; common scams"
        }
      ],
      "scope": {
        "collection": "stablecoins",
        "dataAsOf": "2026-10-02",
        "blockHeight": null
      },
      "qualification": "",
      "evidenceStatus": "documented",
      "verification": {
        "status": "verified",
        "method": "independent automated source review",
        "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T19:26:58.461Z",
        "reviewer": "Independent automated verification — Codex DeFi agent, separate from the stablecoin drafting agent",
        "notes": "ERC20 metadata/decimals/events and Circle registry support counterfeit distinction. Narrowed verification FAQ to avoid unsupported bytecode-method explanation."
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "counterfeit-stablecoins-fact-names",
      "articleSlug": "counterfeit-stablecoins",
      "statement": "Names: ERC-20 metadata does not make a token name or symbol globally unique.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "source-ac4ad503a55127bb"
      ],
      "sourceLocators": [
        {
          "sourceId": "source-ac4ad503a55127bb",
          "locator": "Token methods and events"
        }
      ],
      "scope": {
        "collection": "stablecoins",
        "dataAsOf": "2026-10-02",
        "blockHeight": null
      },
      "qualification": "",
      "evidenceStatus": "documented",
      "verification": {
        "status": "verified",
        "method": "independent automated source review",
        "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T19:26:58.461Z",
        "reviewer": "Independent automated verification — Codex DeFi agent, separate from the stablecoin drafting agent",
        "notes": "ERC20 metadata/decimals/events and Circle registry support counterfeit distinction. Narrowed verification FAQ to avoid unsupported bytecode-method explanation."
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "counterfeit-stablecoins-fact-registry",
      "articleSlug": "counterfeit-stablecoins",
      "statement": "Registry: Circle publishes chain-specific USDC identities.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "source-66270bffe3272787"
      ],
      "sourceLocators": [
        {
          "sourceId": "source-66270bffe3272787",
          "locator": "Mainnet addresses; Solana"
        }
      ],
      "scope": {
        "collection": "stablecoins",
        "dataAsOf": "2026-10-02",
        "blockHeight": null
      },
      "qualification": "",
      "evidenceStatus": "documented",
      "verification": {
        "status": "verified",
        "method": "independent automated source review",
        "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T19:26:58.461Z",
        "reviewer": "Independent automated verification — Codex DeFi agent, separate from the stablecoin drafting agent",
        "notes": "ERC20 metadata/decimals/events and Circle registry support counterfeit distinction. Narrowed verification FAQ to avoid unsupported bytecode-method explanation."
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "counterfeit-stablecoins-fact-action",
      "articleSlug": "counterfeit-stablecoins",
      "statement": "Action: Unexpected tokens and links can be part of scams; receipt does not require interacting with them.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "source-83ec2d5a18d94ce1"
      ],
      "sourceLocators": [
        {
          "sourceId": "source-83ec2d5a18d94ce1",
          "locator": "Wallet security; common scams"
        }
      ],
      "scope": {
        "collection": "stablecoins",
        "dataAsOf": "2026-10-02",
        "blockHeight": null
      },
      "qualification": "",
      "evidenceStatus": "documented",
      "verification": {
        "status": "verified",
        "method": "independent automated source review",
        "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T19:26:58.461Z",
        "reviewer": "Independent automated verification — Codex DeFi agent, separate from the stablecoin drafting agent",
        "notes": "ERC20 metadata/decimals/events and Circle registry support counterfeit distinction. Narrowed verification FAQ to avoid unsupported bytecode-method explanation."
      }
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "x425-sc-erc20",
      "label": "ERC-20 Token Standard",
      "publisher": "Ethereum Improvement Proposals",
      "url": "https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-20",
      "locator": "Token methods and events",
      "note": "Names/symbols, balances and Transfer events do not independently authenticate the issuer.",
      "version": "Document retrieved 2026-10-02; content hash recorded",
      "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T18:51:07.936Z",
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      "recordId": "source-ac4ad503a55127bb"
    },
    {
      "id": "x425-sc-circle-addresses",
      "label": "USDC contract addresses",
      "publisher": "Circle",
      "url": "https://developers.circle.com/stablecoins/usdc-contract-addresses",
      "locator": "Mainnet addresses; Solana",
      "note": "Official chain-specific token identification. Testnet and mainnet identities must not be confused.",
      "version": "Document retrieved 2026-10-02; content hash recorded",
      "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T18:51:05.791Z",
      "contentSha256": "429d18007d36b6b885c2937cc881602fd126e7993edf4445fc2b0e0b38ad2d1a",
      "recordId": "source-66270bffe3272787"
    },
    {
      "id": "x425-sc-eth-security",
      "label": "Ethereum security and scam prevention",
      "publisher": "ethereum.org contributors",
      "url": "https://ethereum.org/en/security/",
      "locator": "Wallet security; common scams",
      "note": "Address checking, malicious token and phishing risks; examples are educational.",
      "version": "Document retrieved 2026-10-02; content hash recorded",
      "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T18:51:08.783Z",
      "contentSha256": "1372ff086ae3f53ded99c8dfe308346a457574d41c04dc587de119a64080b448",
      "recordId": "source-83ec2d5a18d94ce1"
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  ],
  "related": {
    "articles": [
      "verified-contract-source",
      "stablecoin-deposit-not-credited",
      "ethereum-token-approvals",
      "stablecoin-test-transfers"
    ],
    "dossiers": [],
    "wallets": []
  },
  "revisionHistory": [
    {
      "date": "2026-10-02",
      "kind": "published",
      "summary": "First publication after primary-source research and separate automated verification."
    }
  ],
  "citation": "Degrees of Satoshi editorial project. “How to identify counterfeit stablecoin tokens.” Published 2026-10-02; updated 2026-10-02. https://degreesofsatoshi.com/encyclopedia/counterfeit-stablecoins/"
}