How to Verify a Transaction Before Approving It

This guide covers what to check before approving any transaction. It applies whether you're signing from a device screen or a connected app, and takes only a minute once it becomes a habit.

Verification Steps

1. Check the destination address character-by-character, ideally against the display on a separate signing device rather than relying only on the connected app's screen.
2. Confirm the network and asset type shown actually match what you intended to send — a correct-looking address on the wrong network can still fail silently.
3. Read the amount and fee as displayed on the signing device itself, not just the screen of the app that initiated the request, since that display can be manipulated independently.
4. Treat any unexpected or unprompted approval request as suspicious until you can account for exactly why it appeared and what triggered it.
5. Approve only one clearly understood action at a time, rather than batching multiple requests together or approving in a hurry.

What to Watch For

A mismatch between what the initiating app shows and what the signing device shows is a sign something has been altered along the way. When in doubt, decline the request entirely and start over from a known-good state rather than trying to push it through.

For a deeper look at how signing devices display this information, see Transaction Verification, and for common misunderstandings about approvals, see Misconceptions. A few extra seconds spent reading the device screen is a small cost compared to an approval you can't undo.