Most losses on Solana aren't hacks. They're tokens that can't be sold, tokens with hidden transfer taxes, and copycats using a famous name. Here's a practical way to check a token before you swap, using the built-in pre-trade safety check on Craic Hub Exchange plus a few manual checks.
1. Find the right contract, not just the right name
Anyone can make a token called anything. On Craic Hub, search by name, ticker or contract address. If you paste a contract, the search does a direct lookup, so you land on exactly that token. Get the contract from the project's official site or verified socials, never from a reply in a chat.
2. Read the automatic safety check
Open the token page (thehubexchange.com/#/t/<contract>). Before the swap box, a 🛡 safety check runs automatically and combines three tests:
- Rug scan: an automated risk scan that rates the token's risk.
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Token-2022 extensions, read straight from the chain:
- Transfer tax: some tokens take a cut of every transfer.
- Permanent delegate: someone can move tokens out of any wallet. Treat that as a serious warning.
- Transfer hook: a program runs on every transfer and can change behaviour later.
- Live sell-route test: it asks Jupiter for a quote to sell the token back to SOL. If no route exists, you may not be able to sell: a possible honeypot, or simply no liquidity.
The result is a banner: ✅ passed the basic tests, ⚠️ some risks, or 🔴 high risk: read before you trade. These are automated public-data tests, not a guarantee. A pass means "no obvious red flags", not "safe".
3. Check it yourself too
- Mint and freeze authority: look the mint up on Solscan. If mint authority is still active, supply can grow; if freeze authority is active, your tokens can be frozen.
- Holders: if a few wallets hold most of the supply, they can dump on you.
- Age and activity: brand-new tokens with sudden hype deserve extra caution.
- Socials: do the links on the token match the project's real accounts?
4. Protect your wallet while you trade
- Use a separate "hot" wallet for new tokens and keep savings elsewhere.
- Never share your seed phrase. Connecting a wallet never needs it.
- Read the signing prompt before you approve.
- Start small with anything new.
Quick checklist
- Contract from an official source
- Safety banner read, especially the sell route and the delegate line
- Mint/freeze authority checked on an explorer
- Holder spread looked at
- Hot wallet, small size, prompt read
Disclosure: this guide is written by the Craic Hub Exchange team. We build thehubexchange.com, and $CRAIC is the exchange's coin. Fees paid in $CRAIC are burned.
NFA / DYOR
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