Swap output went to a different recipient: what can be recovered?

Recovery depends on who controls the actual destination and what the receiving contract permits. A confirmed output transfer cannot be redirected merely by changing the recipient in your wallet after the fact.

Find the final output recipient

The transaction’s top-level destination may be a router. Follow the output token transfers to the final receiving address and compare it with the signed request. Universal Router command documentation illustrates that swap instructions can carry their own recipient field.

If the output went to another account you control, select that account and chain. If it went to a contract, determine whether a documented withdrawal or recovery mechanism exists. Do not assume all router-held funds remain claimable by the sender.

Contact the party that can actually act

A custodial service may have an asset-recovery policy for addresses it controls. Another person could voluntarily return funds. A contract without an applicable recovery path may leave no practical recovery option.

Ethereum’s scam-support guidance emphasizes realistic response steps and the limits of recovery. Avoid anyone promising reversal in exchange for a secret or advance “unlock” payment.

Preserve the quote, signed recipient, hash and transfer evidence. If the interface showed one recipient and signed another, that discrepancy matters for the application’s investigation. If you pasted the wrong address, the chain still executed the authorization it received.

Do not send a second payment to the destination to “verify ownership.” Verify control through existing wallet or service records.