Avoid getting scammed by fake "Claim Aerodrome Rewards" websites

What is the fake "Claim Aerodrome Rewards" website?

Our research team discovered this "Claim Aerodrome Rewards" scam, as promoted on distribution-aerodrome-6uo.pages[.]dev (could also be hosted elsewhere), during a routine investigation of suspect sites. This fake platform claims to be distributing various rewards. It operates as a cryptocurrency drainer – i.e., by stealing 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 "Claim Aerodrome Rewards" website overview

At the time of research, the "Claim Aerodrome Rewards" scam was endorsed on distribution-aerodrome-6uo.pages[.]dev, yet it could be hosted on other domains as well. This hoax platform promises rewards to users. Despite potential visual similarities, this scam is not associated with any existing platforms or other entities.

As mentioned in the introduction, "Claim Aerodrome Rewards" is a crypto drainer. When users click the "Claim Now" button, they are prompted to connect their digital wallet. "Linking" a cryptowallet signs a malicious contract that enables the drainer to siphon funds from it.

These transactions are automated and may appear vague, thereby remaining unnoticed for a significant amount of time. Drainers may be capable of roughly estimating the value of digital assets and prioritizing their theft.

Cryptocurrency transactions are practically untraceable – hence, they cannot be reversed. Therefore, victims of scams like this fake "Claim Aerodrome Rewards" site cannot retrieve their funds.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Claim Aerodrome Rewards" crypto drainer
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud, Cryptocurrency Drainer
Disguise	Platform offering rewards to users
Related Domains	distribution-aerodrome-6uo.pages[.]dev, aercdrone[.]finance
Detection Names	Combo Cleaner (Phishing), Emsisoft (Phishing), Fortinet (Phishing), Kaspersky (Phishing), Netcraft (Malicious), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address	172.66.47.175
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

"$WSM Airdrop", "Claim $REZ", "$CATE Airdrop", and "Claim EIGEN" are just a few of our newest articles on drainers. Cryptocurrency-targeting schemes primarily operate in one of three ways – draining funds from wallets, phishing for wallet log-in credentials, and deceiving victims into manually transferring assets to scammer-owned wallets.

Various scams are hosted on the Web, and they are often poorly put together and full of mistakes. However, online schemes can be competently crafted and even perfectly mimic the design of legitimate websites. Hence, we highly recommend exercising caution when browsing and investing.

How did I open a scam website?

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

Cryptocurrency drainers are often endorsed via intrusive pop-up adverts. Some of these ads are fully functional drainers themselves; they lure users into "connecting" cryptowallets by promising various boons. Pop-ups of this kind have even been encountered on genuine sites that had been compromised.

Another widely used promotional technique for crypto-centered schemes is social media spam. Posts and direct/private messages endorsing this content can be made using accounts stolen from real celebrities, entrepreneurs, influencers, projects, companies, organizations, and so on.

How to avoid visiting scam websites?

Caution is essential to online safety. Therefore, pay attention to URLs and type them carefully. Be wary of advertisements and other online content making promises that sound too good to be true. Do not permit dubious webpages to deliver browser notifications; instead, ignore or deny these requests (i.e., press "Block", "Block Notifications", etc.).

Furthermore, do not use websites offering pirated content or other questionable services (e.g., Torrenting, illegal streaming/downloading, etc.), as these sites typically employ rogue advertising networks. Be vigilant with incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages. Do not open attachments or links present in suspicious/irrelevant mail, as they can be harmful or malicious.

Download only from official/trustworthy sources and approach installations carefully (e.g., read terms, study options, use "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opt out of supplementary apps, extensions, etc.) – to prevent bundled/hazardous software 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 "Claim Aerodrome Rewards" website (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 "Claim Aerodrome Rewards" 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?

Basically, "online scams" refer to a type of Internet content that aims to deceive users into performing certain actions. For example, victims can be enticed into connecting digital wallets to crypto drainers, making monetary transactions, disclosing vulnerable information, downloading/installing software, purchasing products, subscribing to services, calling fake helplines, etc.

What is the purpose of online scams?

Online scams are designed to generate revenue at victims' expense. Cyber criminals predominantly profit by acquiring funds through deception, promoting content (e.g., websites, products, services, etc.), selling/abusing private data, and spreading malware.

I have lost digital assets to the "Claim Aerodrome Rewards" scam, can I get my money back?

These transactions are practically irreversible due to their nearly untraceable nature. Hence, victims of scams like this fake "Claim Aerodrome Rewards" site cannot get their money back.

Why do I encounter online scams?

Online scams are most commonly promoted via webpages that utilize rogue advertising networks, intrusive ads, spam (e.g., emails, SMSes, PMs/DMs, social media posts, browser notifications, etc.), misspelled URLs, and adware.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from online scams?

Combo Cleaner can scan visited websites and detect rogue, deceptive/scam, and malicious pages. Should you happen upon such a webpage – you will be immediately warned, and further access to it will be denied.

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