How to identify fake platforms like "Satoshi Connect Wallet"
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What is "Satoshi Connect Wallet" scam?
Our team has reviewed this platform and discovered that it is a fraudulent scheme intended to steal cryptocurrency from users. Scammers behind it employ deceptive tactics to trick individuals into taking steps that ultimately lead to the loss of their digital assets. Thus, we strongly advise against interacting with this platform/website.
IMPORTANT NOTE: We do not review crypto projects, please do your own research when investing money.
Federal Trade Comission (FTC) states that since the start of 2021, more than 46,000 people have reported losing over $1 billion in crypto to scams – that's about one out of every four dollars reported lost, more than any other payment method.
"Satoshi Connect Wallet" scam in detail
The page (illustrated as a platform called Satoshi) seems to focus on providing financial metrics and promotional offers related to cryptocurrency lending and borrowing, as well as incentives like airdrops. It also suggests that users can receive free BEVM tokens by using the Bybit Wallet.
It is important to note that scammers behind this fake platform probably use the name Satoshi to trick users into believing that their page is somehow related to the unit of currency (a subunit of Bitcoin) or the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin. However, none of this is true.
The purpose of this fraudulent platform is to trick users into connecting their wallets. This action, once completed, results in signing a malicious contract. After this contract is signed, a cryptocurrency drainer is activated. This drainer is created to drain cryptocurrency wallets.
It operates by transferring cryptocurrency holdings from the victim's wallet to the one owned by the scammers behind this scheme. Cryptocurrency transactions are designed to be irreversible. In other words, once cryptocurrency is stolen, it is often lost permanently. Thus, it is important to be careful when dealing with cryptocurrency transactions and offers to avoid monetary loss.
Name | Fake Satoshi Connect Wallet website |
Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
Disguise | Legitimate platform offering airdrops and other benefits |
Related Domain | app-satoshiprotocol.pages.dev |
Detection Names (app-satoshiprotocol.pages[.]dev) | G-Data (Phishing), Trustwave (Phishing), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal) |
Symptoms | Unofficial domain, lack of official verification, unrealistic claims, too good-to-be-true promises. |
Distribution methods | Compromised social media accounts, hijacked WordPress sites, rogue online pop-up ads, phishing emails, unwanted applications. |
Damage | Loss of sensitive private information, monetary loss, identity theft, possible malware infections. |
Malware Removal (Windows) | To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. |
Similar scams in general
These scams often imitate legitimate platforms to deceive users into connecting their wallets or performing other actions by promising rewards. Victims who fall for these schemes end up losing cryptocurrency or facing other problems. In order to avoid such issues, it is important to verify the legitimacy of websites before taking any action.
Some examples of scams similar to the one described in our article are the fake "Claim $HAM", "Binance Megadrop", and "Launchifi Dapp" platforms.
How did I open a scam website?
Scammers behind fake platforms that utilize crypto drainers often take control of legitimate WordPress websites or create fake ones, or use fake social media profiles or hijack existing ones to promote their fraudulent schemes. Scams can also be encountered through pages associated with rogue advertising networks (e.g., torrent sites).
In other cases, users may end up on scam pages via misleading advertisements, fake pop-ups, and similar content on unreliable pages, ads generated by adware, notifications from deceptive websites, links in fraudulent emails, and similar channels.
How to avoid visiting scam pages?
Download software and files only from official sources (websites) or reputable app stores. Be wary of ads, pop-ups, and similar content encountered on questionable pages. Exercise caution with unsolicited emails or messages from unknown senders, especially those containing links or attachments.
Refrain from allowing suspicious sites to send notifications, and regularly scan your computer for unwanted applications and other potential threats. If your computer is already infected with unwanted apps, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate them.
The appearance of "Satoshi Connect Wallet" pop-up scam (GIF):
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Quick menu:
- What is Fake Satoshi Connect Wallet website?
- How to identify a pop-up scam?
- How do pop-up scams work?
- How to remove fake pop-ups?
- How to prevent fake pop-ups?
- What to do if you fell for a pop-up scam?
How to identify a pop-up scam?
Pop-up windows with various fake messages are a common type of lures cybercriminals use. They collect sensitive personal data, trick Internet users into calling fake tech support numbers, subscribe to useless online services, invest in shady cryptocurrency schemes, etc.
While in the majority of cases these pop-ups don't infect users' devices with malware, they can cause direct monetary loss or could result in identity theft.
Cybercriminals strive to create their rogue pop-up windows to look trustworthy, however, scams typically have the following characteristics:
- Spelling mistakes and non-professional images - Closely inspect the information displayed in a pop-up. Spelling mistakes and unprofessional images could be a sign of a scam.
- Sense of urgency - Countdown timer with a couple of minutes on it, asking you to enter your personal information or subscribe to some online service.
- Statements that you won something - If you haven't participated in a lottery, online competition, etc., and you see a pop-up window stating that you won.
- Computer or mobile device scan - A pop-up window that scans your device and informs of detected issues - is undoubtedly a scam; webpages cannot perform such actions.
- Exclusivity - Pop-up windows stating that only you are given secret access to a financial scheme that can quickly make you rich.
Example of a pop-up scam:
How do pop-up scams work?
Cybercriminals and deceptive marketers usually use various advertising networks, search engine poisoning techniques, and shady websites to generate traffic to their pop-ups. Users land on their online lures after clicking on fake download buttons, using a torrent website, or simply clicking on an Internet search engine result.
Based on users' location and device information, they are presented with a scam pop-up. Lures presented in such pop-ups range from get-rich-quick schemes to fake virus scans.
How to remove fake pop-ups?
In most cases, pop-up scams do not infect users' devices with malware. If you encountered a scam pop-up, simply closing it should be enough. In some cases scam, pop-ups may be hard to close; in such cases - close your Internet browser and restart it.
In extremely rare cases, you might need to reset your Internet browser. For this, use our instructions explaining how to reset Internet browser settings.
How to prevent fake pop-ups?
To prevent seeing pop-up scams, you should visit only reputable websites. Torrent, Crack, free online movie streaming, YouTube video download, and other websites of similar reputation commonly redirect Internet users to pop-up scams.
To minimize the risk of encountering pop-up scams, you should keep your Internet browsers up-to-date and use reputable anti-malware application. For this purpose, we recommend Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.
What to do if you fell for a pop-up scam?
This depends on the type of scam that you fell for. Most commonly, pop-up scams try to trick users into sending money, giving away personal information, or giving access to one's device.
- If you sent money to scammers: You should contact your financial institution and explain that you were scammed. If informed promptly, there's a chance to get your money back.
- If you gave away your personal information: You should change your passwords and enable two-factor authentication in all online services that you use. Visit Federal Trade Commission to report identity theft and get personalized recovery steps.
- If you let scammers connect to your device: You should scan your computer with reputable anti-malware (we recommend Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows) - cyber criminals could have planted trojans, keyloggers, and other malware, don't use your computer until removing possible threats.
- Help other Internet users: report Internet scams to Federal Trade Commission.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is a fake crypto platform?
A fake crypto platform is a deceptive website that masquerades as a legitimate cryptocurrency service (e.g., a crypto exchange or wallet provider).
What is the purpose of crypto scam?
Typically, these scams aim to either gather personal details, like login credentials for cryptocurrency wallets, or steal cryptocurrency through drainers, fraudulent investment offers, or other methods.
Why do I encounter scam websites?
These scams can be encountered via sites that use rogue advertising networks, such as torrent or illegal streaming sites, messages from fake social media accounts, or ads delivered by adware. Users can also be deceived by misleading ads on dubious websites, unreliable notifications, and links sent through email by scammers.
Will Combo Cleaner protect me from scams?
Combo Cleaner is designed to scan every website you visit, identifying and detecting malicious ones. It also flags sites that host scams, promptly alerting you and blocking access to them.
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