The three answers
- Block: the address is not a wallet (a token or a program), the account does not exist, or it imitates an address or name the payer has paid before, or a well-known NEAR account.
- Caution: the address is brand new or barely used, runs a contract, is about to receive a large first payment, or its history could not be read.
- Allow: none of the above.
How look-alikes are caught
A look-alike copies something you trust, such as intent5.near for intents.near. The check compares what it is given with two things: the payer’s recent payments, and a short list of well-known NEAR accounts.
- The same first and last four characters as an address the payer paid, but a different address: block.
- A NEAR name that reads the same once 0 and o, 1 and l, 5 and s, rn and m, and dashes and dots are set aside: block.
- A NEAR name one letter away: caution.
Free and paid checks
The free check does not read the payer’s history, so it cannot compare an address with earlier payments. It still catches look-alikes of well-known NEAR accounts. The paid check takes payer, the wallet about to pay, and amountUsd, which turn on the look-alike and first-payment checks.
When history cannot be read
If the payer’s history cannot be read, the check says so and cautions instead of guessing, because a gap could hide the very payment a look-alike imitates.
What it cannot see
- It reads recent history only, so an address the payer paid long ago is not compared.
- There is no NEAR scam list yet.
Try it
Free on the Check page, or over the API at GET /v1/check/{address}. See Routes.