Avoid getting scammed by "ROBOTAXI ($TAXI)" websites
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What is the "ROBOTAXI ($TAXI)" scam?
While investigating dubious websites, our researchers discovered several pages promoting the "ROBOTAXI ($TAXI)" scam coin. Purchasing this token is a worthless investment. It is possible that this coin was created to leverage user interest in the recently announced Tesla Cybercab.
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 $1 billion in crypto to scams – that's about one out of every four dollars reported lost, more than any other payment method.
"ROBOTAXI ($TAXI)" scam overview
We discovered the "ROBOTAXI ($TAXI)" coin-promoting webpages – robotaxioneth[.]com and robotaxi2024[.]xyz – during a routine inspection of suspect sites. However, this token could be endorsed on other deceptive pages as well. Investing in the "ROBOTAXI ($TAXI)" coin is ill-advised, as it is an investment that will result only in financial loss.
It is likely that this token was created to take advantage of the potential hype over Cybercab – an upcoming electric self-driving car announced by Tesla, Inc. It is pertinent to mention that products associated with Tesla, its CEO – Elon Musk, and even his other companies like SpaceX – are often used by scammers to create a sense of legitimacy for their scams.
It must be emphasized that "ROBOTAXI ($TAXI)" is in no way associated with Tesla, Inc. or any other legitimate companies.
Name | "ROBOTAXI ($TAXI)" scam website |
Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
Disguise | Potentially, Tesla's Cybercab |
Related Domains | robotaxioneth[.]com, robotaxi2024[.]xyz |
VirusTotal Detections and Serving IP Addresses | robotaxioneth[.]com (77.37.42.34), robotaxi2024[.]xyz (43.154.122.198) |
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. |
Cryptocurrency-specific scam examples
"Elon Musk Crypto Giveaway", "Tesla Space X Investment", "X Token Presale", "Elon Musk Twitter Giveaway", "TeslaStrategy Giveaway", "Doge Giveaway", "Tesla Giveaway", "Elon Musk X Donald Trump Crypto Giveaway", "Macxmusk Crypto Exchange", "SpaceX BTC and ETH giveaway", and "Dogelon Mars (ELON) giveaway" are just some examples of crypto-centered scams using lures associated with Elon Musk and his companies.
In most cases, these schemes operate in one of three ways – utilizing drainers to siphon funds from victims' wallets, phishing for wallet log-in credentials, and tricking users into manually transferring funds to scammer-owned wallets.
Various false claims are used to gain and subsequently abuse victims' trust, such as new coin/token promotions, giveaways/airdrops, presale events, account/wallet issues, security upgrades, suspicious activity detections, etc.
Due to how widespread these scams are and how well-made they can be – we highly recommend exercising caution when browsing and investing.
How did I open a scam website?
Online scams are mainly endorsed via spam (e.g., social media posts, PMs/DMs, emails, SMSes, browser notifications, etc.), malvertising (intrusive ads), typosquatting (misspelled URLs), websites that use rogue advertising networks, and adware.
Cryptocurrency-specific schemes are commonly promoted through social media spam; we have discovered many instances of this promotion on X (formerly – Twitter). Promotional posts and private/direct messages can be made using accounts stolen from real projects, companies, organizations, celebrities, influencers, etc.
Crypto drainers are often endorsed through intrusive pop-up adverts. Some of these advertisements are fully functional drainers themselves; they entice users into "linking" digital wallets by promising various benefits. It is noteworthy that these pop-ups have been encountered on legitimate sites that had been hacked.
How to avoid visiting scam websites?
Caution is key to online safety. Therefore, pay attention to URLs and enter them carefully. Be wary of advertisements and websites making promises that sound too good to be true. Do not use sites offering pirated programs/media or other questionable services (e.g., Torrenting, illegal streaming/downloading, etc.), as these webpages are typically monetized via rogue advertising networks.
Do not permit suspect pages to deliver browser notifications; instead, ignore or deny these requests (i.e., press "Block", "Block Notifications", etc.). Exercise caution with incoming emails and other messages; do not open attachments or links present in suspicious 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, extensions, features, etc.) – to prevent bundled/harmful software from infiltrating systems.
If your computer is already infected, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate all threats.
Appearance of a website (robotaxioneth[.]com) promoting "ROBOTAXI ($TAXI)" scam coin (GIF):
Screenshot of another website promoting "ROBOTAXI ($TAXI)" scam coin (robotaxi2024[.]xyz):
Instant automatic malware removal:
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Quick menu:
- What is "ROBOTAXI ($TAXI)" 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 is a type of content hosted on the Web that aims to deceive users into performing specific actions. For example, victims can be lured into purchasing products/content/services, disclosing sensitive information, connecting digital wallets to crypto drainers, making monetary transactions, downloading/installing software, and so forth.
What is the purpose of online scams?
Online scams aim to generate revenue at victims' expense. Cyber criminals primarily profit by promoting content (e.g., websites, software, products, services, etc.), obtaining funds through deception, abusing/selling private information, and proliferating malware.
I have lost digital assets to the "ROBOTAXI ($TAXI)" scam, can I get my money back?
Cryptocurrency transactions cannot be reversed due to their nearly untraceable nature. Therefore, victims of scams like these fake "ROBOTAXI ($TAXI)" websites cannot get their money back.
Why do I encounter online scams?
Online scams are most commonly promoted via malvertising, webpages using rogue advertising networks, spam (e.g., DMs/PMs, social media/ forum posts, emails, SMSes, browser notifications, etc.), typosquatting, and adware.
Will Combo Cleaner protect me from online scams?
Combo Cleaner can scan visited websites and detect rogue, deceptive, and malicious pages. Therefore, should you happen upon such a webpage – you will be immediately warned, and further access to it will be blocked.
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