The quickest and easiest way to check the authenticity of an NFT is to inspect the metadata of an NFT using a blockchain explorer, such as Etherscan.io. You will need to either locate the asset on the blockchain or ask for the wallet address of the person who is sending you the asset to ensure it actually exists and is in their possession. Here’s how to do it:
- Go to the NFT’s metadata on the blockchain explorer.
- Identify the location of the NFT’s hash. This will tell you where it’s stored on the blockchain.
- Enter the NFT’s hash into the blockchain explorer.
- You’ll see the NFT’s metadata.
- You can use this information to determine if an NFT is authentic.
Can I verify an NFT with digital certificates?
Some NFTs have digital certificates that verify their authenticity. Others don’t. If you’ve ever bought a collectible, you’ve probably received a certificate of authenticity. In addition to the item’s serial number, you’ll also find the name of the manufacturer, the date the item was produced, the material it’s made of, and a description of its condition.
A digital certificate is similar to a paper certificate – except it’s built on a blockchain. One of the biggest advantages of a digital certificate is that it safeguards against counterfeiting. Every certificate is unique and can be tracked.
Digital certificates are one way to verify the authenticity of an NFT. However, not all NFTs have digital certificates. And even if an NFT has a certificate, you can’t be sure that the certificate is authentic. It could have been faked.
How else can I verify NFT authenticity?
One other way to verify the authenticity of a certificate is to check the digital signature. If the certificate has a digital signature, you can also verify it using the blockchain explorer.
Conclusion
Certificates are an effective way to verify the authenticity of an NFT. However, you still have to trust the issuer of the certificate. Some certificate issuers could be malicious. Because of this, the best way to verify the authenticity of an NFT is to inspect it yourself on a trusted blockchain explorer.
You can do this by looking at the NFT’s metadata such as Etherscan.io. Metadata is data about data. For example, the metadata for a video file contains details like the title, the date it was created, its location, and the codec used to encode it. NFTs have simple metadata, which tells you things like the name of the character, its rarity, and its owner.