Home / Onion Explained / Lookalike attacks
Lookalike characters in posted Torzon links
Some fakes are not new addresses at all but text that only looks like the right one.
Images of addresses
Screenshots force you to retype the address, which reintroduces typing errors and lets an attacker show you anything.
Styled text
Some fonts make l and 1 or o and 0 look alike. Base32 excludes 0 and 1, which helps you spot substitutions.
Invisible extras
Copied text can carry hidden characters or line breaks. Paste into a plain text editor first and look at the result.
Prefer plain-text sources
Take the torzon link from a source that publishes plain text, ideally inside a signed message.
Copy Torzon links as plain text from a checked source, never from screenshots or styled posts.