diff --git a/packages/providers/src.ts/etherscan-provider.ts b/packages/providers/src.ts/etherscan-provider.ts
index f61f4a80f9..add4097c40 100644
--- a/packages/providers/src.ts/etherscan-provider.ts
+++ b/packages/providers/src.ts/etherscan-provider.ts
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ function getResult(result: { status?: number, message?: string, result?: any }):
         return result.result;
     }
 
-    if (result.status != 1 || result.message != "OK") {
+    if (result.status != 1 || typeof(result.message) !== "string" || !result.message.match(/^OK/)) {
         const error: any = new Error("invalid response");
         error.result = JSON.stringify(result);
         if ((result.result || "").toLowerCase().indexOf("rate limit") >= 0) {
@@ -93,8 +93,6 @@ function checkLogTag(blockTag: string): number | "latest" {
 }
 
 
-const defaultApiKey = "9D13ZE7XSBTJ94N9BNJ2MA33VMAY2YPIRB";
-
 function checkError(method: string, error: any, transaction: any): any {
     // Undo the "convenience" some nodes are attempting to prevent backwards
     // incompatibility; maybe for v6 consider forwarding reverts as errors
@@ -160,13 +158,13 @@ function checkError(method: string, error: any, transaction: any): any {
 
 export class EtherscanProvider extends BaseProvider{
     readonly baseUrl: string;
-    readonly apiKey: string;
+    readonly apiKey: string | null;
 
     constructor(network?: Networkish, apiKey?: string) {
         super(network);
 
         defineReadOnly(this, "baseUrl", this.getBaseUrl());
-        defineReadOnly(this, "apiKey", apiKey || defaultApiKey);
+        defineReadOnly(this, "apiKey", apiKey || null);
     }
 
     getBaseUrl(): string {
@@ -447,6 +445,6 @@ export class EtherscanProvider extends BaseProvider{
     }
 
     isCommunityResource(): boolean {
-        return (this.apiKey === defaultApiKey);
+        return (this.apiKey == null);
     }
 }