Avoid losing digital assets to fake "Lido $stETH Airdrop" websites

What is the fake "Lido $stETH Airdrop"?

"Lido $stETH Airdrop" is a scam that imitates the Lido platform (lido.fi). It lures users with an stETH cryptocurrency token airdrop. However, this giveaway is fake and it is not associated with Lido or any other existing platforms and entities.

This "Lido $stETH Airdrop" scheme is a cryptocurrency drainer that aims to siphon 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 "Lido $stETH Airdrop" overview

We discovered this scam on gift-stether[.]org – however, it could be hosted on other domains as well. The scheme is disguised as Lido – a platform of Ethereum's leading liquid staking token – stETH (Lido Staked ETH).

This fake platform claims to be running an airdrop distributing stETH tokens. Naturally, the airdrop is a hoax and in no way associated with the real Lido or any other existing platforms and entities.

"Lido $stETH Airdrop" is a cryptocurrency drainer. When a digital wallet is connected, the page executes scripts to facilitate a draining mechanism.

Basically, funds are transferred in automated transactions to scammer-owned wallets. This activity can appear vague – thereby remaining unnoticed for a significant amount of time. Drainers may also be capable of roughly estimating the value of digital assets and prioritizing their theft.

It must be mentioned that due to the practically untraceable nature of these transactions – they cannot be reversed. Hence, victims of scams like this fake "Lido $stETH Airdrop" cannot retrieve their funds.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Lido $stETH Airdrop" crypto drainer
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud, Cryptocurrency Drainer
Fake Claim	stETH cryptocurrency token giveaway
Disguise	Lido
Related Domains	gift-stether[.]org
Detection Names (gift-stether[.]org)	AFortinet (Phishing), Kaspersky (Phishing), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address (gift-stether[.]org)	185.220.161.23
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

We have written about countless cryptocurrency-targeting scams; "EtherMail ($EMT) Airdrop", "Soneium Registration", "Node AI", and "Binance USDC Distribution" are merely a few of our latest articles on drainers.

These scams operate in one of three primary ways – utilizing draining mechanisms to steal funds from exposed wallets, phishing for wallet log-in credentials, and tricking users into manually transferring assets to criminal-owned wallets.

Various lures are used to gain victims' interest and trust, such as airdrops/giveaways, new coin/token promotions, account/wallet issues, security upgrades, suspicious activity detections, and so on.

While online scams are often shoddily put together and rife with mistakes, they can be competently made and even perfectly copy the design of legitimate sites.

How did I open a scam website?

In general, online scams are promoted through malvertising (intrusive adverts), websites that employ rogue advertising networks, spam (e.g., emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, social media posts, browser notifications, etc.), typosquatting (misspelled URLs), and adware.

Crypto drainers are commonly endorsed via intrusive pop-up advertisements. Some of these ads are fully functional drainers themselves; they lure users into "linking" digital wallets by promising various boons. It is noteworthy that these pop-ups have been encountered on genuine sites that had been hacked.

Additionally, cryptocurrency-specific schemes are pushed via posts and private/direct messages on social media networks. This spam content can be made using accounts stolen from real projects, organizations, companies, celebrities, influencers, etc.

How to avoid visiting scam websites?

Caution is essential to online safety. Therefore, pay attention to URLs and enter them carefully. Be wary of adverts and other online content making promises that sound too good to be true. Do not use websites offering pirated programs/media or other questionable services (e.g., Torrenting, illegal streaming/downloading, etc.), as these webpages typically utilize rogue advertising networks.

Do not enable suspect sites to deliver browser notifications; instead, ignore or deny said requests from such pages (i.e., click "Block", "Block Notifications", etc.). Treat incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages with vigilance; do not open attachments or links found in dubious mail.

Download only from official/trustworthy sources and approach installations with care (e.g., read terms, study options, use "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opt out of supplementary apps, extensions, etc.) – to prevent bundled/dangerous 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 "Lido $stETH Airdrop" (GIF):

Screenshot of the official Lido website (lido.fi):

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 "Lido $stETH 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?

Online scams are deceptive messages intended to deceive visitors into performing specific actions. For example, victims can be tricked into connecting digital wallets to crypto drainers, sending money to scammers, disclosing sensitive data, purchasing products, downloading/installing software, subscribing to services, etc.

What is the purpose of online scams?

Online scams are designed to generate revenue for scammers. Cyber criminals primarily profit by acquiring funds through deception, promoting content (e.g., sites, programs, products, services, etc.), abusing/selling private data, and proliferating malware.

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

Cryptocurrency transactions are practically untraceable, so they cannot be reversed. Therefore, victims of scams like "Lido $stETH Airdrop" cannot get their money back.

Why do I encounter online scams?

Online scams are mainly promoted via sites using rogue advertising networks, malvertising, typosquatting, spam (e.g., PMs/DMs, social media posts, emails, SMSes, browser notifications, etc.), and adware.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from online scams?

Combo Cleaner can scan the websites you visit and detect rogue, deceptive/scam, and malicious pages. Therefore, should you stumble upon such a webpage – you will be warned immediately, and further access to it will be blocked.

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