A rug pull is when the people behind a crypto token take the money out of it, or make it impossible to sell, and leave buyers holding a token that is worth little or nothing. This guide explains the common kinds, the warning signs you can check yourself, and what an automatic scan can and cannot tell you.
Last updated Oct 26, 2026
Before you buy a new token, check these five things. Each one is explained below.
One token can combine several of these.
| Warning sign | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Liquidity that is not locked or burned | The creator may be able to withdraw the pool at any time. |
| A small pool | Even without fraud, prices move sharply in a small pool and a large sale is impossible. An empty pool means the token cannot be sold at all. |
| Mint or freeze authority still open | New tokens can be created, or the tokens in your wallet can be frozen. |
| A few wallets hold most of the supply | If the biggest wallets sell, the price has nowhere to go but down. Look at the share of the top 10 holders, leaving out the pools themselves. |
| Linked wallets | Several wallets funded from the same place can belong to one person who looks like many holders. |
| Honeypot, blacklist, pausable transfers or a high tax | Selling may be blocked or very expensive. On EVM networks a sell simulation can reveal some of these. |
| Hidden owner or unverified contract code | You cannot read what the contract is able to do, or someone keeps powers that look given up. |
| Volume that does not fit holders and trades | A lot of volume with few trades or few holders can mean bots trading with themselves (wash trading). |
| A copy of a well-known token | Fake tokens use the name and symbol of a real one. Take the contract address from the project’s official page, never from a message from a stranger. |
| A brand-new token | There is little history to check, and scores can change quickly. Be most careful in the first days. |
The Codex Trust score looks at wallet distribution, token age, authorities and taxes, the liquidity lock, manipulation signs such as a honeypot, and other security checks such as a hidden owner or a blacklist. The Volume score looks at liquidity, volume, trades and holders, and whether these fit each other. Confirmed red flags, for example a confirmed honeypot or a token that has already been rugged, set the score to 1.
Every result lists the reasons behind the score. How the scores are calculated →
The Weekly Token Feed adds a filter on top: it leaves out tokens that are flagged as honeypots, as copies of known tokens, as already rugged, or with mint or freeze power still active. That is a filter, not a safety rating.
Codex is for information only and is not financial advice.
Usually not. Blockchain transactions cannot be reversed, and the people behind a rug pull are often hard to identify. Be careful with anyone who offers to recover your funds for a fee: recovery scams target people who have just lost money.
Not necessarily. A lock stops one kind of rug pull, the liquidity pull. A token can still have an open mint authority, a honeypot, a high tax, or a few wallets holding most of the supply.
No. A high score means fewer warning signs were found in the data that was available. It is an estimate, it can miss risks, and it is not an audit.
Do not buy more, and do not connect your wallet to sites or people who contact you about it. Never share your seed phrase or private key with anyone. On EVM networks you can review the permissions you have given with a token-approval checker (many block explorers offer one) and cancel the ones you do not need.