Learning Point Hub

Safety & rules · 2 min read

What is phishing?

By Oliver James Whitmore · Updated 20 October 2026

In one sentence

Phishing is a type of fraud in which someone imitates a trusted person, company or website to trick you into revealing a secret — such as a password or recovery phrase — or into approving an action yourself.

A genuine address and a look-alike that differs by one character.https://learningpointhub.comgenuinehttps://learningpo1nthub.comlook-alikeThe letter i was swapped for the digit 1. Type known addresses yourself.
A genuine address and a look-alike that differs by one character.

How it works

Classic phishing arrives as an e-mail, text or direct message that copies the look and tone of a real organisation and pushes you towards a link. The link leads to a look-alike site that asks you to "log in" or "verify". Whatever you type goes to the attacker.

Around blockchains, phishing has a few typical forms:

  • Phrase harvesting. A fake site or app asks for your recovery phrase "to restore" or "to sync" your wallet. Typing it in hands over every key.
  • Approval phishing. A malicious site asks you to sign a transaction that gives a contract permission to move your tokens — the approve function from the ERC-20 standard is a common tool. No password is stolen; your own signature does the damage.
  • Address poisoning. An attacker sends a tiny transfer from an address that starts and ends like one you have used, hoping you will later copy the wrong one from your history.
  • Look-alike names. Domains that differ by one character, use another top-level domain, or borrow letters from other alphabets that look identical on screen.

Fake adverts, fake support accounts on social media and copied apps are common delivery routes.

A simple example

A message reads: "Your Learning Point Hub account will be suspended in 24 hours. Verify your wallet at learningpo1nthub.com." Look closely: the "i" in "point" is the digit 1. And there is a simpler test: Learning Point Hub has no accounts and never asks for anything. Any message like this one is fake.

Common misconception

Misconception: Phishing only works on careless or non-technical people.

In fact: Well-made phishing fools experienced users too, especially under time pressure. Approval phishing uses the normal signing screens that everyone clicks through, which is why reading what you sign matters as much as checking the address bar.

Where you meet it

  • Your inbox, text messages and direct messages.
  • Search results and social media posts that imitate real services.
  • Signature requests in wallet software.
  • Fake support accounts that reply to public questions on social media.

Sources

This card explains a technical concept for general education. It is not a recommendation to acquire, sell or hold any crypto-asset, and it is not financial advice.