Editorial note: This is general educational information for overseas readers. It is not investment, tax, legal or custody advice. Rules and service availability differ by country; verify current terms with an official source before acting.
Externally owned accounts and contracts
An externally owned account (EOA) is controlled by a private key. A contract account follows code and can hold assets or execute rules. Wallet software presents both through one interface, so read the recipient type and requested action before signing.
The network name matters
Ethereum mainnet, test networks and layer-two networks use different environments. A token with the same ticker may exist on several networks. Match the network shown by the sender, wallet and recipient service; a successful transaction on the wrong network may still be unusable for the recipient.
Signing is an authorization
- Read the contract and function name before approving.
- Review token allowances and revoke permissions you no longer need.
- Keep a record of the network, contract address and transaction hash.
Editorial note: This is general educational information for overseas readers. It is not investment, tax, legal or custody advice. Rules and service availability differ by country; verify current terms with an official source before acting.