Airdrops: taking part without getting trapped
Understand airdrops, measure their costs and spot fake sites and dangerous signatures.
The essentials
Why do projects give away tokens?
A project launching its token has several reasons to give part of it to its users: rewarding early users, spreading voting power over its decisions, attracting new users and keeping the whole token from staying in the hands of the team and investors.
A few distributions made a lasting impression. In September 2020, the decentralized exchange Uniswap gave 400 UNI to every address that had already used it. In March 2023, Arbitrum distributed its ARB token to its network's users based on a points scale published at announcement time. In late 2024, Hyperliquid reserved a large share of its HYPE token for its users. These examples also spawned many imitations: every big airdrop is followed by fake claim sites.
The different types of airdrops
| Type | How it works | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Retroactive | The project rewards past activity, without announcing it beforehand | The criteria are only known at distribution time |
| Points program | You earn points, converted into tokens later | The conversion rate is rarely known in advance |
| Holders | A snapshot of balances determines who receives tokens | Tokens held on a platform don't always count |
| Quests and tasks | Follow an account, make a transaction, invite someone | Many participants, small allocations, multi-accounts filtered out |
| Testnet | Test a network before launch, with worthless tokens | No capital at stake, but no guarantee of a reward |
| Fake airdrop | An unknown site or token invites you to "claim" | It's a scam: see the traps below |
To go further: Points programs: how they work and Testnets: getting in early without risk.
What to check before taking part
Start by identifying the official site through several consistent channels: the project's documentation, the domain announced by the team and verifiable accounts. Read the criteria, eligible countries, date, any identity requirements and the cost of the operations. A "free" airdrop may require paid transactions, locking up capital or exposure to contracts.
Keep a participation wallet, funded with a small amount, separate from your storage wallet. This separation limits the exposure of your main holdings, but it doesn't protect you if you reuse the same recovery phrase or sign a dangerous permission on your main wallet.
Typical traps
- An account impersonates support and sends a "claim now" link by DM.
- A fake site copies the official design and asks for your recovery phrase.
- A claim page asks for a signature with broader permissions than expected.
- An unknown token appears in your wallet out of nowhere with a site to visit: its presence doesn't mean the site is trustworthy.
- A project announces a guaranteed yield or amount before even publishing clear criteria.
Never pay "unlock fees" to an address sent by a so-called advisor. Real network fees are shown by your wallet in the transaction on the right network; they never justify sending funds separately to a stranger. If you're unsure about a link, test it with our crypto site checker.
Rules that can exclude you
Even with a lot of activity, an allocation can be cut or refused:
- Anti-multi-account filter: projects spot wallets controlled by the same person and exclude them. See Sybil: why multi-accounts get excluded.
- Excluded countries: some projects exclude residents of specific countries, often the United States.
- Identity verification: a few distributions require KYC at claim time.
- Minimum thresholds: a minimum number of transactions, active days or volume.
- Gradual unlocks: part of the tokens may be locked for several months (vesting).
When it's time to claim, follow the method in Claiming an airdrop safely.
Measuring the real result
Write down the date, the project, the wallets used, network fees, capital locked up and time spent. If you spend €40 in fees and later receive a token showing €30, the operation isn't profitable on those numbers alone. Liquidity and the actual ability to sell matter too.
A reasonable routine
Pick a few projects you understand, read their documentation, set a fee budget and only take actions you'd have accepted without any airdrop promise. When an official announcement comes out, go back to the project's known URL and reread what your wallet asks you to sign. If the signature is unreadable or seems excessive, don't sign.
For a more organized approach, the Farming Perp DEXs page ranks the decentralized trading platforms whose points programs are the most followed, with their costs and risks.
Frequently asked questions
What is a crypto airdrop?
A distribution of tokens by a project to users who meet certain criteria: having used the protocol, held a token, taken part in a testnet… The criteria are often published after the fact, so no activity guarantees an allocation.
Are airdrops free?
The token is distributed without a purchase price, but taking part often costs transaction fees, locked capital and time. Track your spending to know whether the operation was really profitable. To farm in an organized way, see Farming Perp DEXs.
How can I tell if an airdrop is a scam?
Be wary of a link received in a private message, an unknown token that appeared in your wallet, a page that asks for your recovery phrase or "unlock fees". Always find the official site through the project's documentation and test the link with our crypto site checker.