Avoid getting scammed by fake "Tether Giveaway" website

What is the fake "Tether Giveaway"?

Upon examination, we determined that this "Tether Giveaway" is fake. When users attempt to claim the Tether cryptocurrency (USDT) supposedly distributed by this scam, they unintentionally expose their digital wallets to a crypto drainer. Victims of this scheme 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 "Tether Giveaway" overview

This fake giveaway claims to be distributing Tether cryptocurrency (USDT) in appreciation for user loyalty. Allegedly, each user can claim 1500 USDT or the amount worth this sum in US dollars. USDT is a stablecoin that, as of the time of writing, is close in value to USD.

We found this scam promoted on usdt[.]gives, but it could also be hosted on other domains. It must be emphasized that this giveaway is a hoax, and it is in no way associated with any existing platforms or entities.

When users try to claim the Tether cryptocurrency, they are prompted to connect their digital wallets. Doing so signs a malicious contract that facilitates the drainer, which siphons funds from victims' wallets.

These automated transactions may appear innocuous, thus not raising immediate suspicion and remaining unnoticed for a significant amount of time. Some drainers can approximate the value of digital assets and prioritize their theft.

It must be mentioned that cryptocurrency transactions cannot be reversed because of their nearly untraceable nature. Therefore, victims of scams like this fake "Tether Giveaway" cannot get their funds back.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Tether Giveaway" crypto drainer
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud, Cryptocurrency Drainer
Disguise	Tether (USDT) giveaway
Related Domains	usdt[.]gives
Detection Names (usdt[.]gives)	Combo Cleaner (Phishing), Fortinet (Phishing), G-Data (Phishing), Kaspersky (Phishing), Lionic (Phishing), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address (usdt[.]gives)	104.21.32.78
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

"MoonBag Presale", "Claim $ORDI", "$BIFI Token Airdrop", "Zircuit Airdrop", and "$MSTR Token Distribution" are just some of our newest articles on drainers.

Cryptocurrency-specific scams operate in one of three primary ways – by using draining mechanisms to steal funds from exposed wallets, phishing for wallet log-in credentials, and tricking users into manually transferring funds to scammer-owned wallets.

Various lures are used to gain and subsequently abuse victims' trust, such as false claims concerning giveaways/airdrops, new coin/token promotions, presale events, account/wallet issues, security updates, and so forth.

While online schemes are often poorly made and riddled with errors, they can be competently crafted and even believably disguised as content associated with legitimate entities (e.g., companies, organizations, institutions, authorities, etc.).

Due to how widespread scams are on the Internet and how well-made they can be – we strongly recommend exercising caution when browsing and investing.

How did I open a scam website?

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

Cryptocurrency drainers are often endorsed through intrusive pop-up ads (malvertising). Some of these advertisements are fully functional drainers themselves; they lure users into "linking" digital wallets by promising various benefits. It is noteworthy that these pop-ups have been encountered on genuine sites that had been compromised.

Another prevalent promotional technique is social media spam. These posts and direct/private messages can be made using accounts stolen from real projects, companies, celebrities, entrepreneurs, influencers, etc.

How to avoid visiting scam websites?

Caution is paramount to online safety. Therefore, be wary of the ads and websites making promises that sound too good to be true. Take note of URLs and type them attentively. 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 sites offering pirated content or other questionable services (e.g., illegal streaming or downloading, Torrenting, etc.), as these webpages usually employ rogue advertising networks. Be vigilant with incoming emails and other messages; do not open attachments or links found in suspicious mail.

Download only from official/verified sources and approach installations with care (e.g., study terms and options, use "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opt out of supplementary apps, extensions, etc.) – to prevent bundled/harmful software (like adware) 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 the fake "Tether Giveaway" 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 "Tether Giveaway" 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; it aims to trick users into performing certain actions. For example, victims can be enticed into connecting digital wallets to crypto drainers, making monetary transactions, disclosing sensitive information, purchasing products, downloading/installing programs, subscribing to services, 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, promoting content (e.g., websites, software, products, services, etc.), selling/abusing vulnerable data, and proliferating malware.

I have lost digital assets to the "Tether Giveaway" scam, can I get my money back?

Cryptocurrency transactions are irreversible because of their practically untraceable nature. Hence, victims of scams like this fake "Tether Giveaway" cannot get their money back.

Why do I encounter online scams?

The most widespread promotional techniques include: spam (e.g., emails, SMSes, PMs/DMs, social media/ forum posts, browser notifications, etc.), intrusive ads (malvertising), webpages using rogue advertising networks, mistyped URLs (typosquatting), and adware.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from online scams?

Combo Cleaner is designed to scan visited sites for rogue, deceptive/scam, and malicious content. Additionally, it can restrict all further access to webpages hosting such content.

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