Avoid losing digital assets to fake "SWELL Airdrop" websites

What is the fake "SWELL Airdrop"?

This is a scam imitating the Swell Network (swellnetwork.io). It lures victims with a bogus cryptocurrency airdrop. This fake website operates as a cryptocurrency drainer. Victims of the "SWELL Airdrop" scheme cannot recover the stolen digital assets.

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 "SWELL Airdrop" overview

Our researchers discovered this scam on et-swell.pages[.]dev, but keep in mind that it could be hosted on other domains as well. This scheme masquerades as Swell Network (SWELL) – a liquid staking platform. It lures victims into exposing their digital wallets with the promise of an airdrop.

It must be stressed that this giveaway is fake, and it is in no way associated with the actual Swell Network.

Once a user connects their digital wallet – they sign a malicious contract that facilitates the cryptocurrency drainer. Essentially, funds are transferred in automated transactions to scammer-owned wallets. This activity may 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. Furthermore, cryptocurrency transactions cannot be reversed because of their practically untraceable nature. Hence, victims of this fake "SWELL Airdrop" cannot recover their funds.

Threat Summary:

Name	"SWELL Airdrop" crypto drainer
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud, Cryptocurrency Drainer
Disguise	Airdrop on Swell Network (SWELL)
Related Domains	et-swell.pages[.]dev
Detection Names (et-swell.pages[.]dev)	Emsisoft (Phishing), Fortinet (Phishing), G-Data (Phishing), Netcraft (Malicious), Seclookup (Malicious), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address (et-swell.pages[.]dev)	172.66.44.189
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 crypto-specific scams; "Coinbase ($COIN) Airdrop", "$CRV Token Airdrop", and "Arcium Registration" are just a couple of our newest articles on drainers.

In addition to using draining mechanisms, popular cryptocurrency-centered scams function by phishing for wallet log-in credentials and deceiving users into manually transferring funds to scammer-owned wallets.

Various lures are used to gain victims' interest and trust, such as false claims concerning airdrops/giveaways, new token/coin promotions, presale events, rewards programs, security upgrades, account/wallet issues, suspicious activity detections, and so forth.

Due to how prevalent scams are on the Internet and how well-crafted they can be – we highly recommend exercising caution when browsing and investing.

How did I open a scam website?

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

Crypto drainers are commonly endorsed via intrusive pop-up advertisements. Some are fully functional drainers themselves; they entice users into "linking" digital wallets by promising various boons. These ads have even been encountered on legitimate sites that had been compromised.

Additionally, cryptocurrency-targeting schemes are prevalent on social media networks, particularly on the X platform (formerly Twitter). These spam posts and private/direct messages can be made using hacked accounts (i.e., ones originally belonging to real entrepreneurs, celebrities, influencers, projects, companies, etc.). If the endorsed scam aligns with the content ordinarily posted by such an account – it creates an incredible impression of legitimacy.

How to avoid visiting scam websites?

Caution is paramount to online safety. Therefore, always be mindful of ads and sites making offers that sound too good to be true. Take note of URLs and type them attentively. Do not use websites offering pirated content or other dubious services (e.g., illegal streaming or downloading, Torrenting, etc.), as these webpages usually utilize rogue advertising networks.

Do not permit suspicious pages to deliver browser notifications; ignore or deny these requests (i.e., select "Block", "Block Notifications", etc.). Be vigilant with incoming emails and other messages; do not open attachments or links found in suspect/irrelevant mail.

Download only from official/trustworthy sources and approach installations carefully (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 the device.

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 "SWELL Airdrop" website (GIF):

Screenshot of the official Swell Network (SWELL) website (swellnetwork.io):

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 "SWELL 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?

Essentially, online scams are deceptive messages posted on the Web. Their purpose is to deceive users into performing specific actions, e.g., connecting digital wallets to crypto drainers, making monetary transactions, disclosing sensitive information, 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. This purpose can be achieved by obtaining funds through deception, endorsing content (e.g., websites, products, services, etc.), selling/abusing vulnerable data, and proliferating malware.

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

No, these transactions cannot be reversed due to their nearly untraceable nature. Therefore, victims of scams like this fake "SWELL Airdrop" cannot get their money back.

Why do I encounter online scams?

Online scams are most commonly endorsed via malvertising (intrusive ads), websites that employ rogue advertising networks, spam (e.g., social media/ forum posts, DMs/PMs, emails, SMSes, browser notifications, etc.), typosquatting (mistyped URLs), and adware.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from online scams?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can scan every website that you visit for deceptive/malicious content. Hence, should you happen upon such a webpage – you will be immediately warned, and further access to it will be denied.

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