The Most Common Swap Scams in 2026, and How to Avoid Them

This guide outlines common and evolving crypto swap scams—phishing sites, fake tokens and honeypots, unlimited approval and Permit2 drains, bridge impostors, MEV sandwich attacks, and address/URL spoofing—targeting users of major DEXs and wallets. It details attacker techniques, examples of exploited platforms and networks, and provides practical mitigations and a pre-swap checklist (URL verification, tight slippage, exact approvals, hardware wallets, revoke tools, simulation and MEV protection) to reduce risk and prevent fund loss.