Do not trust fake "Elon Musk X Donald Trump Crypto Giveaway" sites
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What kind of scam is "Elon Musk X Donald Trump Crypto Giveaway"?
While browsing suspicious sites, our research team discovered the "Elon Musk X Donald Trump Crypto Giveaway" scam. It is presented as a cryptocurrency mass-adoption promotion event wherein users can receive double the amount of Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, or Dogecoin they contribute.
However, all digital assets transferred to this scam will be stolen, and victims will receive nothing in return. It must be emphasized that this scheme is in no way associated with either Elon Musk or Donald Trump.
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.
"Elon Musk X Donald Trump Crypto Giveaway" scam overview
This scam is presented as a giveaway held to encourage the mass adoption of cryptocurrency. The event is supposedly distributing 1,000 Bitcoin (BTC), 10,000 Ethereum (ETH), 500,000 Solana (SOL), and 100,000,000 Dogecoin (DOGE). At the time of writing, these amounts are worth approximately 57 million USD for BTC, 23 million USD for ETH, 130 thousand USD for SOL, and 10 million for DOGE (note that exchange rates fluctuate constantly).
This fake giveaway claims that participants will immediately receive twice the amount of cryptocurrency that they contribute. Users can send from 0,1 to 15 BTC, 1 to 200 ETH, 10 to 10,000 SOL, or 20,000 to 5,000,000 DOGE. They can only participate once, and twice-fold the amount they transfer to the contribution address will be sent back.
It must be reiterated that this giveaway event is fake, and it is in no way associated with the billionaire businessman Elon Musk or the 45th president of the United States – Donald Trump.
The goal of this scheme is to deceive users into transferring cryptocurrency to digital wallets in the scammers' possession. Victims of this scam experience irreparable financial loss since cryptocurrency transactions cannot be reversed because of their nearly untraceable nature.
| Name | "Elon Musk X Donald Trump Crypto Giveaway" scam website |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Participants will receive double the Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, or Dogecoin they send to the contribution address. |
| Disguise | Event held by Elon Musk and Donald Trump |
| Related Domains | x2debate[.]com |
| Detection Names (x2debate[.]com) | Quttera (Suspicious), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal) |
| Serving IP Address (x2debate[.]com) | 104.21.68.15 |
| Distribution methods | Social media spam, compromised websites, rogue online pop-up ads, potentially unwanted applications. |
| Damage | Monetary loss |
| Malware Removal (Windows) | To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. |
Cryptocurrency-specific scam examples
We have investigated countless crypto-targeting scams; "$ETHFI Shared For Karak Users", "Mint StoneAi", "SunToken Allocation", "Claim Base Dawgz", "$MOG Coin", "Claim FREE $DADDY", and "$CAT Airdrop" are just some of our newest articles.
These scams operate in one of three primary ways – tricking victims into manually transferring funds to scammer-owned wallets, using draining mechanisms to siphon funds from compromised wallets, and phishing for wallet log-in credentials.
Various lures are used to gain the victims' trust, such as airdrops/giveaways, new coin/token promotions, account/wallet issues, suspicious activity detections, security upgrades, and so forth.
While online scams are often poorly put together and riddled with mistakes, they can be competently made and even perfectly copy the design of legitimate websites. Therefore, always be cautious when browsing and investing.
How did I open a scam website?
Online scams are predominantly promoted via malvertising (intrusive ads), webpages using rogue advertising networks, spam (e.g., emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, browser notifications, social media/ forum posts, etc.), typosquatting (mistyped URLs), and adware.
Cryptocurrency-specific schemes are prevalent on social media platforms; we have found many instances of their promotion on X (more widely known by its former name – Twitter).
Promotional posts and direct/private messages can be made using hacked accounts (i.e., ones originally belonging to real entrepreneurs, celebrities, influencers, projects, companies, etc.). If the scams align with the content ordinarily posted by the account – this creates an incredible impression of legitimacy.
How to avoid visiting scam websites?
Caution is crucial to online safety. Therefore, be wary of advertisements and other online content, making offers that sound too good to be true. Pay attention to URLs and enter them carefully. Do not enable dubious webpages to deliver browser notifications; instead, ignore or deny these requests (i.e., click "Block", "Block Notifications", etc.).
Do not use websites offering pirated programs/media or other questionable services (e.g., illegal streaming/downloading, Torrenting, etc.), as these webpages are usually monetized via rogue advertising networks. Be vigilant with incoming emails and other messages; do not open attachments or links present in suspicious mail.
Download only from official/verified sources and treat installations with care (e.g., read terms, explore options, use "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opt out of additional apps, extensions, etc.) – to prevent bundled/hazardous software (like adware) from infiltrating the system.
If your computer is already infected, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate all threats.
Text presented in the "Elon Musk X Donald Trump Crypto Giveaway" scam:
ELON MUSK X DONALD TRUMP
CRYPTO GIVEAWAY
During this unique event, you have the opportunity to take a share of 1 000 BTC & 10 000 ETH & 500 000 SOL & 100 000 000 DOGE. Have a look at the rules and don't miss out on this. You can only participate once!
PARTICIPATE
INFO ABOUT EVENT
About giveaway
We believe that BTC & ETH & SOL & DOGE will make the world more fair. To speed up the process of cryptocurrency mass adoption, we decided to run 1 000 BTC & 10 000 ETH & 500 000 SOL & 100 000 000 DOGE giveaway for all crypto holders!
You can only participate once!
How to participate ?
To participate you just need to send any amount from (0,1 BTC to 15 BTC) or (1 ETH to 200 ETH) or (10 SOL to 10 000 SOL) or (20 000 DOGE to 5 000 000 DOGE) to the contribution address, and we will immediately send back the double amount (0,2 BTC to 30 BTC) or (2 ETH to 400 ETH) or (20 SOL to 20 000 SOL) or (40 000 DOGE to 10 000 000 DOGE) (x2 back) to the address you sent it from
The appearance of "Elon Musk X Donald Trump Crypto Giveaway" scam (GIF):
Instant automatic malware removal:
Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner
By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.
Quick menu:
- What is "Elon Musk X Donald Trump Crypto Giveaway" scam 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 an online scam?
An online scam refers to a type of content promoted on the Web that is designed to trick users into performing specific actions. For example, victims may be enticed into sending money to scammers, connecting digital wallets to crypto drainers, disclosing vulnerable information, purchasing products, subscribing to services, downloading/installing software, and so forth.
What is the purpose of online scams?
The goal of online scams is to generate revenue for scammers. Profit can be made by obtaining funds through deception, promoting content (e.g., websites, products, services, etc.), selling/abusing private data, and distributing malware.
I have sent cryptocurrency to an address presented in the "Elon Musk X Donald Trump Crypto Giveaway" scam, can I get my money back?
No, these transactions cannot be reversed because of their practically untraceable nature. Hence, victims of scams like "Elon Musk X Donald Trump Crypto Giveaway" cannot retrieve their funds.
Why do I encounter online scams?
Online scams are primarily promoted through sites that use rogue advertising networks, spam (e.g., social media posts, PMs/DMs, emails, SMSes, browser notifications, etc.), intrusive advertisements, misspelled URLs, and adware.
Will Combo Cleaner protect me from online scams?
Combo Cleaner is designed to eliminate all kinds of threats. It is capable of scanning visited websites for deceptive and malicious content. Additionally, Combo Cleaner can block all further access to such sites.
Outstanding!
▼ Show Discussion