An Ethereum address checksum checks encoding, not who owns the address
ERC-55 uses mixed-case letters to detect many address-entry mistakes. A valid checksum still leaves the destination’s identity and intended network unverified.
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The short version
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What the primary record establishes
ERC-55 derives the letter casing of a hexadecimal Ethereum address from a Keccak-256 hash of its lowercase hexadecimal representation. Decimal digits are unchanged. The result preserves the address bytes while adding a case-based checking convention. Ethereum ERC-55 — Mixed-case checksum address encoding ↗
What the distinction changes
An attacker can supply an entirely different address with a perfectly valid checksum. Nothing in this encoding says that the address belongs to the business named on an invoice. Typo detection and identity verification solve different problems.
What to check before drawing a conclusion
Before sending, compare the full destination through an appropriate trusted channel and confirm the network, asset and recipient requirements. A checksum warning deserves attention, but a green checksum badge should not replace that broader review.
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Original WFN vector illustrationWFN · 18 October 2026
Editorial noteSource-based explanation with original WFN analysis. Historical records retain their dates; numerical examples are illustrative. The original vector illustration is conceptual and is not documentary evidence.
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Primary-source explainer
Primary-source explainer
Primary record / reference periodERC-55 address-encoding specification checked 18 October 2026
The linked source supports the documented record; WFN interpretation and illustrative examples are separate.
ERC-55 uses mixed-case letters to detect many address-entry mistakes. A valid checksum still leaves the destination’s identity and intended network unverified.
01 · VERIFIED RECORD
What the primary record establishes
ERC-55 derives the letter casing of a hexadecimal Ethereum address from a Keccak-256 hash of its lowercase hexadecimal representation. Decimal digits are unchanged. The result preserves the address bytes while adding a case-based checking convention. Ethereum ERC-55 — Mixed-case checksum address encoding ↗
The specification reports an average of 15 check bits per address and a 0.0247% chance that a randomly generated mistyped address accidentally passes its check. That is a checksum-model property, not an estimated probability of payment fraud. Ethereum ERC-55 — Mixed-case checksum address encoding ↗
02 · WFN EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
What the distinction changes
An attacker can supply an entirely different address with a perfectly valid checksum. Nothing in this encoding says that the address belongs to the business named on an invoice. Typo detection and identity verification solve different problems.
The address string also does not, by this standard alone, establish which network or asset the recipient expects. Reusing a familiar-looking hexadecimal address in another context can therefore leave a payment operationally wrong even when the case pattern is valid.
03 · REVIEW POINTS
What to check before drawing a conclusion
Before sending, compare the full destination through an appropriate trusted channel and confirm the network, asset and recipient requirements. A checksum warning deserves attention, but a green checksum badge should not replace that broader review.
For integrations, preserve the documented checksum convention through copying and display. Explain what the check actually validates. WFN draws no conclusion about ownership, recoverability or contract safety merely from the successful validation of an ERC-55 string.
