"Binance is giving away 100 USDT!" "Free airdrops for BNB holders!" — 99% are phishing attempts. This article teaches you how to spot them. Download entry: Binance website, mobile Binance official app; if you don't have the App on iOS, check the iOS install guide.
1. Spotting real vs. fake airdrops
| Item | Real | Fake |
|---|---|---|
| Source | binance.com announcements | Emails / SMS / links in groups |
| Claim via | In-App activity portal | External sites / wallet connection |
| "Pay a margin first" | Never | Common |
| "Provide wallet private key/seed phrase" | Never | Common |
| "Ending immediately" | Ample time given | Creates urgency |
2. Real Binance airdrops
Binance occasionally has:
- HODL Airdrops: BNB holders share new coins proportionally.
- Megadrop / Launchpool: Stake BNB to mine new coins.
- New user registration rewards: Complete KYC to receive a small amount.
These are all located in:
- The "Campaigns" or "Activities" portal at the top of binance.com.
- The in-App announcement center.
- Official X / Telegram announcements.
The portal to claim is within the Binance platform, and never requires jumping to an external site.
3. Common phishing airdrops
1. "Connect wallet to claim airdrop"
Redirects you to a site asking to connect MetaMask. Once you click "Approve", the attacker gets permission to transfer your tokens — draining all your ERC20s.
2. "Verify identity with seed phrase"
Directly tricks you out of your seed phrase. Any request to "verify seed phrase first" is a scam.
3. "Pay 0.01 ETH gas to unlock"
Asks you to transfer money first. This tricks you out of the gas fee + leverages the psychology of "sunk costs" to induce you into investing more.
4. "DM me for the claim code"
Asks you to leave public channels. Once you add them, they start private messaging to brainwash and scam you out of your money.
4. Channels for airdrop phishing
Telegram airdrop groups
99% of "Binance airdrop groups" are scams. The real official Binance has an announcement channel but does not DM you to push airdrops.
X / Twitter comment sections
Replies under official Binance tweets saying "First 100 people to claim the airdrop, click the link" — these reply accounts are impersonators.
Emails
"Congratulations, you have been selected to participate in a Binance airdrop" — airdrops will not be notified via email DMs.
Web page pop-ups
Certain pages (including normal websites subjected to XSS attacks) will pop up "Binance airdrop events". Close them all.
5. The extreme danger of connecting your wallet
Approve / Permit attacks
After connecting your wallet on a phishing site, it will ask you to sign an "Approve" or "Permit". This is equivalent to:
- You authorizing this contract to spend an unlimited amount of a certain token you own.
- It can be transferred away at any time afterward.
Defense
- Do not connect your wallet to any unfamiliar websites.
- If necessary to connect, read the signature content word by word before signing.
- Use an anti-phishing wallet like Rabby Wallet, which can identify dangerous signatures.
6. What to do if you mistakenly participated
If you only entered your email:
- Be on high alert for subsequent phishing to that email.
- Do not click any links in those emails.
If you connected your wallet:
- Immediately use Revoke.cash to revoke all approvals.
- Transfer your assets to a new wallet (the old wallet might still have leftover approval attacks).
- Monitor the wallet address.
If you transferred money:
- Submit the on-chain TXID to Etherscan / Tronscan to report it.
- Call the police to preserve evidence.
- 95% of the time, the funds cannot be recovered.
7. Long-term defense
1. Assume airdrops are phishing by default
Treat "unfamiliar airdrops" as your default assumption. Unless verified on the binance.com announcement page, never believe them.
2. Two-tier wallet system
- Main wallet: Long-term assets, never connects to unfamiliar sites.
- Operational wallet: Small amounts, used to connect to unfamiliar sites for trials.
3. Monitor approvals
Use Revoke.cash once a month to check the approval list and revoke unused ones.
4. Do not FOMO
"It'll be too late if you don't join now!" is a phisher's favorite psychology to exploit. Airdrop money is not a necessity; if you miss it, you miss it.
FAQ
Q1: Are the occasional KYC completion rewards from Binance real? There are real ones. But they are distributed internally to your Binance account, and don't need a "claim button jumping to an external site".
Q2: Should I trust airdrops recommended by friends? Do not trust them. Your friend might have been phished themselves and is redistributing it.
Q3: How do I verify before connecting a wallet? Look at the contract address seeking approval in the wallet pop-up, and go to Etherscan to see if it has audits and history.
Q4: Do BNB holders really have to do anything for real airdrops? Usually, you only need to hold BNB (HODL). You don't need to pay or hand over anything.