To verify a crypto payment on Polygon, ask the sender for the transaction hash, open it yourself on a public explorer and check four things: status is Success, the token contract is the official one, the recipient is your address, and the amount matches. The transaction link itself is the payment proof, and you can share it as a receipt, QR code or PDF.
Quick answer
Proof of payment = a transaction hash anyone can look up. Paste it into our Polygon explorer, press Share to send a link or QR code, or Print to save a PDF receipt. Recipients: never trust a screenshot, and always check the token contract address, not just the “USDT” label.
Polygon has become one of the most used networks for stablecoin payments because fees are fractions of a cent and blocks arrive every couple of seconds. That also makes it attractive for scammers. In our inbox, the most common complaint isn't a failed transfer; it's someone who handed over goods after seeing a convincing “payment sent” screenshot. This guide is for both sides of a payment: the person paying who needs to prove it, and the person receiving who needs to be sure.
What counts as proof of a Polygon payment
A blockchain payment leaves a public record that no one can edit. The transaction hash is the key to that record. When you give someone the hash, they don't have to trust you, your wallet or your screenshot; they can look it up on any independent explorer and see exactly what the chain recorded.
Everything else is a claim. A screenshot can be edited in seconds. A wallet notification only proves that a wallet tried to send something. An email from an exchange saying “withdrawal completed” is better, but even that only has value once you can see the matching hash on-chain. An exchange's internal transfer between two of its own customers doesn't appear on the blockchain at all, so there's nothing to verify on an explorer; ask for an on-chain withdrawal if you need public proof.
Good proof has three properties. It's verifiable by the recipient without special tools. It's specific: it shows the token, amount and recipient, not just “some transaction happened”. And it's durable: it still works in a year, when your accountant or a dispute handler asks for it. A transaction link on a public explorer ticks all three.
How to share a payment receipt with our explorer
We built the Share feature of our Polygon transaction explorer for exactly this job, after watching people paste raw hashes into chats and recipients having no idea what to do with them.
- Look up the transaction. Paste the hash into the search bar at the top of any page. The result opens with a “Payment receipt” card at the top: status, amount with its USD value, sender, recipient, time in UTC, fee, block and confirmations.
- Press Share. A dialog opens with a copyable link. On phones, the native share button sends it to any app. There are also direct buttons for Telegram, WhatsApp, X and email.
- Use the QR code in person. The same dialog shows a QR code of the link. At a market stall or a face-to-face trade, the other person scans it and sees the live result on their own phone.
- Save a PDF for records. On desktop, Print opens a clean print view of the receipt; choose “Save as PDF”. It's handy for invoices, expense reports and tax records.
The shared link doesn't contain a copy of the data. It reopens the lookup, so the recipient sees the live state from the blockchain, not a snapshot you could have altered. Nothing is stored on our side, and the recipient doesn't need an account. Under the receipt you'll also find links that open the same transaction on PolygonScan, Blockscout and OKLink, so a cautious recipient can confirm it on an explorer they already trust. If you prefer, you can share a PolygonScan link directly; it's just as valid.
What the recipient should check before accepting
If you are receiving the money, don't click a link the payer sends you and assume the page is genuine. Copy the hash and paste it into an explorer you opened yourself. Then work through these checks in order.
Status. It must say Success. A pending transaction can still fail or be replaced, and a failed one moved nothing. Our transaction checking guide explains each status in detail.
Token contract. This is the check most people skip. Anyone can create a token called “USDT” or “USD Coin” with any logo. Click the token in the transfers section and compare the contract address with the official ones: USDT on Polygon PoS is 0xc2132D05D31c914a87C6611C10748AEb04B58e8F, native USDC is 0x3c499c542cEF5E3811e1192ce70d8cC03d5c3359 (issued by Circle), and the older bridged USDC.e is 0x2791Bca1f2de4661ED88A30C99A7a9449Aa84174. Both USDC versions are real, but agree beforehand which one you accept. Our USDT and USDC explorer page explains the difference.
Recipient. In the token transfer line, the “To” address must be yours, character for character. Don't just compare the first and last four characters; that's precisely what address poisoning exploits. The top-level “To” field often shows the token contract, which is normal for token transfers.
Amount. Stablecoins have decimals (six for USDT and USDC), and explorers show the human-readable amount. Make sure it matches the invoice exactly and that it's the token amount, not a USD estimate.
Confirmations. Polygon PoS reaches finality in about five seconds since the Heimdall v2 upgrade in July 2025, so a few confirmations are enough for everyday payments. For a large sum, wait a minute and recheck on a second explorer.
| Check | Where to look | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Top of the page | Pending or Failed |
| Token | Token transfers, contract | Unknown contract, no price |
| Recipient | Transfer “To” line | Looks similar, not identical |
| Amount | Transfer amount | Differs from invoice |
Common payment scams on Polygon
Most payment fraud on Polygon doesn't involve hacking. It exploits the gap between what the victim sees and what they verify.
Fake screenshots and fake explorer pages
The oldest trick: the buyer sends an edited screenshot of a wallet or an explorer page, often with urgent pressure to release goods. A more advanced version is a link to a lookalike explorer domain that renders fake data. The defence is simple: never verify through material the payer supplies. Paste the hash yourself into an explorer you opened yourself.
Fake tokens with real names
Scammers mint tokens called USDT, with the right logo and even the right decimals, and send them to you. Your wallet may display them as “USDT”. On the explorer, the token contract won't match the official address, and usually it has no price or market data. Our explorer shows USD values for recognised tokens, which is a quick hint, but the contract address is the real check.
A pending transaction shown as proof
The payer sends a hash that exists but is still pending, perhaps with a gas price set deliberately low. Then they replace it with a transaction using the same nonce that sends the funds somewhere else. The original disappears as dropped. Only accept Success, and only after a few confirmations.
Address poisoning
The attacker creates an address that starts and ends with the same characters as one you've used, then sends you a zero-value or tiny transfer so it appears in your history. Next time you copy an address from your history, you pick theirs. Always copy addresses from a trusted source, such as your saved contacts or the invoice, and compare the full string. Our wallet tracking guide shows how to spot these entries in your history.
Tips for merchants and freelancers accepting crypto
If you accept Polygon payments regularly, a bit of structure saves hours. Use one receiving address per purpose, or even per client, so reconciliation is easy. Put the network (Polygon PoS), token and contract address on every invoice, so payers don't send USDT on Ethereum or a fake token. Ask for the transaction hash in the payment reference, and store the explorer link next to each invoice in your accounting system.
For customers who aren't crypto-native, the QR code of a receipt link is often the easiest way to show that a payment arrived. Many small merchants we spoke to also keep a small POL balance on their receiving wallet, since moving stablecoins onward needs gas; the Polygon gas tracker shows how little that costs. If you need to top it up, buy POL on a regulated exchange that holds licences in several jurisdictions and supports withdrawals to the Polygon network, and pick Polygon PoS on the withdrawal screen.
Export your history periodically. PolygonScan offers CSV downloads of transactions and token transfers for an address, which is useful for bookkeeping. Regulations on accepting crypto differ by country, so check your local tax and licensing rules, and use an explorer with a good track record; our explorer ranking explains which ones we trust and why.
When a payment doesn't arrive
If the payer insists they sent it and you see nothing, start with the hash. No hash means no on-chain transaction yet. If the hash exists on another network, such as Ethereum, the funds went to your address on that chain. Because EVM addresses are the same across chains, you may still be able to access them with the same wallet by switching networks; exchanges handle such cases differently. If the hash shows Success on Polygon but your wallet doesn't show the token, add the official contract manually. For bridged funds still in transit, our bridge explorer page explains how long each direction takes. And if you want a refresher on explorers in general, the guides hub is the place to start.