Verify someone else's lock.
A screenshot proves nothing and a symbol proves less. Four checks, none of which need a wallet, separate a real commitment from a claim that merely looks like one.
Check the token address, not the ticker#
This is the check that catches the most misdirection. Symbols are not unique and cost nothing to
copy — a lock page for a token called $PEPE is a lock on whichever contract that page
names, which may not be the one trading.
- Get the real address. Take it from the DEX pair you would actually buy from, or the project's own site. Not from a chat message and not from the screenshot.
- Compare it to the proof page. Character for character, or at least the first and last six.
- If they differ, stop. The lock is real and irrelevant — a locked balance of a lookalike token.
Check the share of supply#
Token counts are meaningless without a denominator. Ten million tokens sounds like a lot until the supply turns out to be ten billion.
Proof pages state the percentage of total supply directly, so this is usually one glance. If you are
reading a raw explorer transaction instead, divide the locked amount by totalSupply() on the
token contract.
For liquidity specifically, the number that matters is what share of the pool is locked, not what share of the token supply. A pool with 90% of its LP locked and 10% loose can still be drained of that 10%.
Check the date#
| What you see | What it means |
|---|---|
| Unlock date far out | A commitment, worth what the rest of the checks say |
| Unlock date within weeks | A countdown. Ask what happens on that day. |
| Already unlockable | The tokens can be withdrawn right now. The lock is history, not a guarantee. |
| Withdrawn | It ended. The page says so. Read the status, not just the headline. |
Locks can be extended but never shortened, so a date that has moved out since you last looked is a real signal. Extending a lock explains the asymmetry.
Check what is not locked#
A lock is evidence about one balance. It says nothing about the rest of the supply, and that is usually where the risk lives.
- Open the holder list. Reading holder distribution covers what a healthy one looks like and what to discount.
- Read the token contract. A locked pool on a token that can be minted at will is not reassurance. How to read a contract on Blockscout.
- Look for the rest of the team's supply. One locked wallet and three unlocked ones is a different picture from what the one locked wallet suggests.
Search it yourself#
You do not need a link from anyone. Paste the token address into the explorer and you will see every lock, burn and vesting schedule against it, whoever created them. If a project claims a lock that does not appear there, it was not made with HoodLock, which does not make it fake, but does mean you should ask where it was made and verify it there.
What a lock cannot tell you#
Being precise about this is the difference between using locks well and over-trusting them.
| A lock proves | A lock does not prove |
|---|---|
| Those tokens cannot move before that date | That the token contract is safe |
| Someone paid to commit publicly | That the team is competent or honest |
| The amount and the date, exactly | That the remaining supply is well distributed |
The red-flag checklist covers the checks that sit either side of this one.