Introduction
With the ever-growing number of new coins, it ‘s unmanageable for crypto investors and traders to keep track of all the modern projects. As such, some crypto projects offer airdrops as a way to stand out and increase awareness. While everyone loves unblock crypto, airdrops are not always legit. Let ‘s see how they work and what you can do to protect yourself against airdrop scams.
What is a crypto airdrop?
A crypto airdrop refers to the transfer of digital assets from a crypto project to multiple wallets. The mind is to distribute coins or tokens to current or electric potential users to increase awareness of the stick out. These tokens are given out for exempt, but some airdrops require users to perform certain tasks before claiming. Crypto airdrops became democratic during the initial coin offer ( ICO ) boom of 2017, but are silent used as a market scheme by many crypto projects nowadays.
How do crypto airdrops work?
There are different types of crypto airdrops, but they normally consist of a modest total of cryptocurrency being distributed to respective wallets ( normally on Ethereum or Binance Smart Chain ). Although less common, there are besides projects that giveaway NFTs rather of unconstipated crypto. Some projects will do the distribution without asking for anything, while others will ask you to perform certain tasks before claiming. These tasks frequently include following sociable media accounts, subscribing to a newsletter, or holding a minimal sum of coins in your wallet. however, you are not always guaranteed to get the airdropped tokens. In some cases, the airdrops are given only to wallets that interacted with the project ‘s platform before a certain date. 1INCH and Uniswap are popular examples that used this method acting to support early adopters. But unlike common airdrops, those were deserving thousands of dollars.
Why do crypto projects perform airdrops?
As mentioned, blockchain projects give out rid tokens in an attack to gain wider adoption and grow their network. A higher count of holders is often seen as a convinced system of measurement, which besides makes the project more decentralized in terms of keepsake possession. Crypto airdrops besides motivate recipients to use and promote the project. This can help cultivate an initial drug user base before the project lists on crypto exchanges. On the other hand, airdrops might besides give a assumed mental picture of growth. so, it ‘s authoritative to consider other factors when evaluating adoption. For exercise, if hundreds of thousands of addresses are holding a certain token, but no one is in truth using it, then the undertaking is either a scam or merely failed to captivate the community.
Are crypto airdrop and ICO the same thing?
Crypto airdrops and ICOs are different concepts, even though they both involve new cryptocurrency projects. While airdrops do n’t require any investment from participants, an ICO is a method acting of crowdfunding. In an ICO, the plan team conducts a keepsake sale to collect funds from investors. ICOs started to become popular in 2014, when Ethereum performed a crowdfunding consequence to support its development. In 2017, the crypto space had an ICO boom, with hundreds of raw projects adopting the method acting. If you want to learn more about ICOs, check out What Is an ICO ( Initial Coin Offering ) ?
Types of airdrop
As we ‘ve seen, there are different ways to conduct a cryptocurrency airdrop. apart from the standard airdrop that plainly transfers crypto to several wallets, we have a few other types. Common examples include amplitude, exclusive, and holder airdrops.
Bounty airdrop
A amplitude airdrop requires users to complete sealed tasks, such as sharing a post about the project on Twitter, joining the project ‘s official Telegram, or creating a post and tagging a few friends on Instagram. To claim a bounty airdrop, you ‘ll likely be asked to fill out a form with your wallet address and provide proof that you completed the tasks.
Exclusive airdrop
An exclusive airdrop lone sends crypto to designated wallets. typically, the recipients have an established history with the plan, such as being an active community member or an early supporter of the project. In September 2020, decentralized exchange ( DEX ) Uniswap airdropped 400 UNI to every wallet that had interacted with their protocol before a certain date. The government nominal gives holders the right to vote on decisions related to the project ‘s development in the future .
Holder airdrop
Holder airdrops distribute free tokens to those that hold a certain total of digital currencies in their wallet. The project team normally takes a snapshot of users ‘ crypto holdings on a specific date and time. If the wallet balance meets the minimum prerequisite, recipients can claim spare tokens according to their holdings at the fourth dimension of the snapshot. many new projects airdrop tokens to bitcoin ( BTC ), ether ( ETH ), or BSC wallet holders, as they have the largest communities in the space. For exemplar, Stellar Lumens ( XLM ) airdropped 3 billion XLM to BTC holders in 2016, and the airdrop was exclusive to users in the Bitcoin network.
How to claim an airdrop?
As mentioned, the action will vary from plan to project. But the most important thing you need for claiming an airdrop is a cryptocurrency wallet. MetaMask is a popular and easy to use crypto wallet. After that, you can check if your wallet received dislodge tokens. If not, you will probable have to interact with a web site to claim the airdrop.
How to avoid airdrop scams?
It can be challenging to tell whether an airdrop is legit or a scam. You should always DYOR before signing up for any airdrop, specially when you need to connect your wallet to a web site. sometimes, scammers will airdrop tokens into several wallets, but when you try to transfer these tokens to a crypto exchange or another wallet, you will have your wallet drained out. In early cases, scammers will announce a juke airdrop that leads to a phishing web site. They will trick you into connecting your wallet into a web site that looks very like to the original one. american samoa soon as you connect your wallet and sign a transaction, you will have other tokens taken out of your wallet. This frequently happens with forge Twitter and Telegram accounts that look very similar to the official ones. Some airdrop scams include asking you to send crypto to an obscure wallet address to unlock your free tokens in return. Legitimate airdrops will never ask for your funds or seed give voice. Be careful with airdrop emails or direct messages. To avoid being scammed, make sure to look into the stick out ‘s official web site and social media channels. Bookmark the official links and double check if they are in truth doing an airdrop event. If you do n’t know anything about the project, you should do extra research to find out what the crypto community is saying. If you ca n’t find enough information, it ‘s probably better to good ignore the airdrop. For supernumerary protection, you can set up a fresh wallet and new electronic mail address dedicated to receiving airdrops only. This can ensure that the funds in your personal wallet are safe from airdrop-related phishing attempts. And most importantly, never share your secret keys with anyone.
Closing thoughts
Crypto airdrops allow crypto projects to stand out and gain traction in the crypto space. It can besides be a dependable way for crypto enthusiasts to grow their portfolio with energetic tokens. however, there are likely more scam airdrops than lawful ones around, thus be careful and make indisputable to do your own research before participating .
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