Avoid losing digital assets to fake "$Leonidas PRE-SALE" website

What is the fake "$Leonidas PRE-SALE"?

Our researchers discovered the fake "$Leonidas PRE-SALE" webpage while investigating suspicious sites. This scam is disguised as a pre-sale event for the Leonidas tokens. Upon inspection, we determined that it operates as a cryptocurrency drainer. Victims of this "$Leonidas PRE-SALE" page experience financial loss.

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 "$Leonidas PRE-SALE" overview

We discovered this scam promoted on claim-lndscom.pages[.]dev, but it could also be hosted elsewhere. The scheme is presented as a pre-sale event for the Leonidas tokens. It must be emphasized that this event is fake, and the scam is not associated with any existing platforms or entities.

The "$Leonidas PRE-SALE" scheme is a crypto drainer. When a user attempts to buy Leonidas, they are prompted to connect their digital wallet. Doing so executes scripts that trigger a cryptocurrency-draining mechanism. Basically, funds are transferred from victims' wallets to those in the cyber criminals' possession.

Some drainers can approximate the value of digital assets and prioritize their theft. These automated transactions may appear vague, thus remaining unnoticed for a significant amount of time.

It must be mentioned that cryptocurrency transactions are irreversible because of their practically untraceable nature. Therefore, victims of scams like this fake "$Leonidas PRE-SALE" website cannot get their funds back.

Threat Summary:

Name	"$Leonidas PRE-SALE" crypto drainer
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud, Cryptocurrency Drainer
Disguise	Leonidas token pre-sale event
Related Domains	claim-lndscom.pages[.]dev
Detection Names	Trustwave (Phishing), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address	172.66.44.238
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

"$CATS Airdrop Live", "Lido $stETH Airdrop", and "EtherMail ($EMT) Airdrop" are merely a couple examples of crypto drainers. Aside from utilizing draining mechanisms, cryptocurrency-targeting schemes operate by phishing for wallet log-in credentials or deceiving victims into manually transferring funds to scammer-owned wallets.

However, there are various types of scams on the Web. While it is common for online schemes to be poorly put together and riddled with mistakes, they can be competently made and even perfectly copy the design of legitimate sites.

How did I open a scam website?

Online scams are widely promoted via spam (e.g., emails, SMSes, PMs/DMs, browser notifications, social media/ forum posts, etc.), websites that use rogue advertising networks, intrusive ads (malvertising), misspelled URLs (typosquatting), and adware.

Cryptocurrency drainers are often endorsed through intrusive pop-up advertisements. Some of these pop-ups can execute draining scripts themselves; they entice users into "connecting" digital wallets by promising various benefits. These ads may even be encountered on genuine sites that have been hacked.

Additionally, crypto-targeting scams are promoted via social media spam. These posts and private/direct messages can be made using accounts stolen from real projects, companies, organizations, celebrities, influencers, and so on.

How to avoid visiting scam websites?

The Internet is full of deceptive and malicious content. Hence, caution is paramount to online safety. Be wary of ads and other online content making promises that sound too good to be true. Take note of URLs and enter them attentively. Do not permit suspect sites to deliver browser notifications; instead, ignore or deny notification delivery from them (i.e., click "Block", "Block Notifications", etc.).

Do not use websites offering pirated software/media or other questionable services (e.g., Torrenting, illegal streaming/downloading, etc.), as these webpages usually employ rogue advertising networks. Approach incoming emails and other messages with vigilance; do not open attachments or links found in dubious mail.

Download from official/verified sources and treat installations cautiously (e.g., study terms and options, use "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opt out of supplementary apps, extensions, etc.) – to prevent bundled/dangerous software from infiltrating devices.

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 "$Leonidas PRE-SALE" 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 "$Leonidas PRE-SALE" 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 deceptive content hosted on the Web that aims to trick users into performing specific actions. For example, victims can be lured into connecting digital wallets to crypto drainers, sending money to scammers, disclosing vulnerable information, purchasing products, downloading/installing programs, and so forth.

What is the purpose of online scams?

Online scams are designed to generate revenue at victims' expense. Profit can be made by obtaining funds through deception, endorsing content (e.g., websites, software, products, services, etc.), abusing/selling private information, and spreading malware.

I have lost digital assets to the "$Leonidas PRE-SALE" scam, can I get my money back?

Cryptocurrency transactions cannot be reversed due to their nearly untraceable nature. Hence, victims of scams like this fake "$Leonidas PRE-SALE" cannot recover the stolen assets.

Why do I encounter online scams?

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

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from online scams?

Combo Cleaner is designed to eliminate all manner of threats. It can scan visited websites for rogue, deceptive, and malicious content. Should you happen upon such a webpage – you will be warned immediately, and further access to it will be restricted.

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