What happens if you send crypto to the wrong address?

If you send crypto to the wrong address, the coins land wherever the blockchain was told to send them, and the transaction cannot be undone once it confirms. Whether you get them back depends on who controls the receiving address and whether you used the right network.

Can you reverse a crypto transaction?

No. Coinbase states that crypto transactions are final and cannot be cancelled or reversed. The only small window is before confirmation. MetaMask notes that a pending transaction can sometimes be sped up or cancelled, which really means replacing it before it lands in a block.

After that, your options are limited to asking for the money back. Our guide on how to send and receive crypto covers the checks to do before you press send.

How do you recover crypto sent to the wrong address?

It depends on the case:

• The owner is known. If you mistyped a friend's second address, or sent to the wrong exchange account, ask the owner to send it back. Coinbase says that if you do not know who controls the address, the funds cannot be recovered.
• A smart contract address. MetaMask says recovery is not guaranteed but the project team may be able to help.
• A random or invalid-looking address. If nobody holds the private key, the coins are effectively gone for good.

Use a blockchain explorer to confirm where the funds went. Be wary of anyone who contacts you offering to recover them, as these are usually crypto recovery scams.

What if you sent crypto to the wrong network?

Many tokens, such as USDC or USDT, exist on several networks. Coinbase warns that the sender and receiver must use the same network and that it cannot recover funds sent on an incorrect one. (It did once credit some older deposits on Polygon and Optimism after adding support for those networks, but it says not to count on that.)

If you sent tokens to your own self-custody wallet on the wrong EVM-compatible network, such as Polygon instead of Ethereum, MetaMask says they are not lost. The same recovery phrase controls the same address on those networks, so you can switch networks, see the tokens, and bridge them back. Sending to a non-EVM network is usually unrecoverable.

What is address poisoning?

Address poisoning is a trick that makes you send to the wrong address on purpose. Attackers create an address whose first and last characters match one you use, then send tiny or zero-value transfers so it appears in your wallet history. Later you copy it by mistake.

A 2025 study of Ethereum and BNB Chain found about 270 million poisoning attempts over two years and at least $83.8 million stolen. To protect yourself, check the full address, not just the ends, use a saved address book, and never copy addresses from your transaction history. Related tricks are covered in crypto phishing and wallet drainers.