Avoid getting scammed by fake "$CATE Airdrop" websites

What is the fake "$CATE Airdrop"?

After inspecting this "$CATE Airdrop", promoted on claim-cateoneth[.]com (could be hosted elsewhere), is fake. The scam claims to be distributing the CATE token. In fact, it operates as a cryptocurrency drainer – by draining digital assets from victims' cryptowallets.

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.

Fake "$CATE Airdrop" overview

We discovered this hoax "$CATE Airdrop" promoted on claim-cateoneth[.]com; however, it must be mentioned that this scam could be hosted on other domains as well. The scheme is presented as a CATE token airdrop. It must be emphasized that this scam is not associated with any existing platforms or entities.

When users connect their digital wallets to the fake website, a cryptocurrency-draining mechanism is triggered. Essentially, it enables the siphoning of funds from victims' wallets. These transactions are automated and may appear vague, thus remaining unnoticed for a long time.

Some drainers can approximate the value of digital assets and prioritize their theft. It is pertinent to mention that due to the practically untraceable nature of cryptocurrency transactions – they cannot be reversed. Therefore, victims of scams like this fake "$CATE Airdrop" cannot retrieve their assets.

Threat Summary:

Name	"$CATE Airdrop" crypto drainer
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud, Cryptocurrency Drainer
Disguise	CATE token airdrop
Related Domains	claim-cateoneth[.]com
Detection Names (claim-cateoneth[.]com)	N/A (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address (claim-cateoneth[.]com)	172.67.215.209
Distribution methods	Compromised websites, social media spam, 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. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner 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.

Cryptocurrency drainer scam examples

"Claim EIGEN", "$FATTY Presale", "NEIRO Register", and "Claim $METIS" are merely a few of our latest articles on crypto drainers.

Cryptocurrency-specific scams typically operate by using drainers to steal digital assets from compromised wallets, targeting wallet log-in credentials, and tricking users into manually transferring funds to scammer-owned wallets.

The Internet is rife with deceptive and malicious content. While online scams are often poorly made and full of mistakes, they can be competently crafted and even believably disguised as content associated with legitimate entities (e.g., companies, corporations, organizations, institutions, etc.).

Due to how prevalent scams are online and how well-made they can be – we highly recommend exercising caution when browsing and investing.

How did I open a scam website?

Crypto drainers are often promoted via malvertising, specifically – intrusive pop-up advertisements. Some of these ads are fully functional drainers themselves; they entice users into "linking" cryptowallets by promising various boons. These pop-ups have even been observed on legitimate websites that had been hacked.

Additionally, cryptocurrency-centered scams are common on social media platforms, particularly X (formerly Twitter). These spam promotional posts and private/direct messages can be made using accounts stolen from real projects, companies, organizations, celebrities, influencers, etc.

However, other endorsement techniques are not unlikely. Aside from the aforementioned methods, online scams are commonly promoted through sites that use rogue advertising networks, different types of spam (e.g., emails, SMSes, forum posts, browser notifications, etc.), typosquatting (misspelled URLs), and adware.

How to avoid visiting scam websites?

Caution is essential 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 permit dubious pages 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 or downloading, Torrenting, etc.), as these webpages are usually monetized via rogue advertising networks.

Be vigilant with incoming emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, and other messages; do not open attachments or links found in suspect/irrelevant mail.

Download from official/verified sources and approach installations with care (e.g., study terms and options, use "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opt out of additional apps, tools, 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.

Appearance of the fake "$CATE Airdrop" website (GIF):

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▼ 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 "$CATE Airdrop" crypto drainer?
• 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 is a type of content hosted on the Web that aims to deceive users into performing specific actions. To elaborate, victims may be lured into connecting digital wallets to cryptocurrency drainers, making monetary transactions, providing sensitive data, purchasing products, subscribing to services, downloading/installing programs, and so forth.

What is the purpose of online scams?

The purpose of online scams is to generate revenue at victims' expense. Cyber criminals primarily profit by acquiring funds through deception, promoting content (e.g., sites, products, services, etc.), selling/abusing private information, and proliferating malware.

I have lost digital assets to the "$CATE Airdrop" scam, can I get my money back?

Cryptocurrency transactions are irreversible due to their nearly untraceable nature. Therefore, victims of scams like this fake "$CATE Airdrop" cannot get their money back.

Why do I encounter online scams?

Online scams are primarily promoted through spam (e.g., social media posts, DMs/PMs, emails, SMSes, browser notifications, etc.), websites using rogue advertising networks, malvertising (intrusive advertisements), typosquatting (mistyped URLs), and adware.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from online scams?

Combo Cleaner can scan visited websites for deceptive and malicious content. Therefore, should you happen upon such a webpage – you will be warned immediately, and further access to it will be blocked.

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