How to Check if a Token Is a Rug Pull: 9 Checks Before You Buy

By Oddrix · 2026-10-30

A rug pull is when the people behind a token take the money and leave. Sometimes they pull the liquidity, sometimes they mint billions of new tokens and dump them, and sometimes the contract simply never lets buyers sell. Most rugs leave clues on-chain before they happen. None of these checks can prove a token is safe, but together they catch the most common traps.

You can run all of them at once with the free Oddrix rug checker. Every line shows where the data came from, so you can verify it yourself.

1. Mint authority (Solana) or mint function (EVM)

If someone can still mint new tokens, they can create supply out of thin air and sell it into the pool. On Solana, look for mint authority: revoked. On EVM chains, look for a hidden or owner-only mint function. A fixed-supply token removes this risk entirely.

2. Freeze authority

A Solana token with an active freeze authority can freeze any holder's token account, so you could buy and then never be able to sell. Legitimate stablecoins sometimes keep it for compliance reasons. A new meme token almost never has a good reason to.

3. Can you actually sell? (honeypot check)

Some EVM contracts allow buys but block or heavily tax sells. Tools like GoPlus simulate a buy and a sell and report the tax on each. A sell tax above about 10%, or a contract that can change its tax later, is a major red flag.

4. Who owns the contract?

An owner with special powers can pause trading, blacklist wallets or change fees. Renounced ownership (owner set to the zero address) removes most of these levers. Check that the contract is verified too, so the code can be read.

5. Holder concentration

If the top ten wallets hold most of the supply, a handful of sells can crash the price. Exclude the liquidity pool and known burn addresses, then look at what the largest real holders own.

6. Liquidity size and lock

Thin liquidity means big price swings and makes it easy to drain the pool. Also check whether the liquidity provider (LP) tokens are burned or locked. If the creator still holds them, they can withdraw the pool at any time.

7. Metadata mutability

If the token's name, symbol and image can still be changed, a scammer can later make it look like a different project. Immutable metadata is a small but useful sign of good faith.

8. Age and trading history

Brand-new tokens are the riskiest by far. A pair that is only a few hours old has no track record. Look at how long it has traded and whether volume looks organic or comes from a few wallets.

9. Copycat names

Scammers launch tokens with the same name and logo as famous projects. Always check the contract address against the project's official website or verified social account.

What a risk check cannot tell you

A clean report means the obvious traps are absent. It does not mean the team is honest, the price will go up or the project will survive. Treat every check as information, not a green light, and never invest more than you can afford to lose.

Risk checks are informational and do not guarantee safety.

FAQ

Is a token with revoked mint and freeze authority safe?

Not necessarily. It removes two common tricks, but liquidity, holder concentration and the team behind the token still matter.

Is the Oddrix rug checker free?

Yes. It is free and needs no sign-in. It reads public data from RugCheck, GoPlus, DexScreener and public RPC nodes.

Not financial advice. Crypto is volatile and you can lose money. Oddrix never holds your funds or keys.