The Merge was Ethereum’s move from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake. On 15 September 2022 the original mainnet execution layer joined the Beacon Chain consensus layer, so miners stopped producing blocks and staked validators took over. Ethereum’s own documentation puts the energy cut at roughly 99.95%. Account balances, contracts and history stayed put; what changed was how the network agrees on the next block.
Why it mattered: proof-of-work burned electricity for security; proof-of-stake secures the chain with locked ether (ETH) instead. The Merge itself did not make transactions instantly cheap or turn ETH into a guaranteed savings product. Later upgrades built on that foundation. New ETH issuance shifted toward staking rewards rather than mining, which is why you still see “stake to earn” marketing — some of it honest, much of it not.
How scammers use the word: “Merge airdrop”, “ETH2 claim”, “migrate wallet” and lookalike domains that ask you to connect and sign. The real upgrade needed no seed phrase from you and no Telegram bot. If a stranger offers a Merge-related payout years later, open ethereum.org yourself and ignore the DM. A hardware wallet and a habit of reading the approval prompt beat any urgent countdown.
Understanding the history helps you spot the costume. It does not replace checking who holds the keys when someone wants a deposit.
Start at Get help if a “Merge claim” already cost you coins. Read Fake recovery before paying a second fee to reverse it.
This article is for general information only. It is not legal or financial advice. Details change. If you have lost money, contact your bank or card issuer and use the routes on the help pages.