How to recognize scams like the fraudulent "OpenSea NFT Offer" page

What is the fake "OpenSea NFT Offer"?

We have inspected the "OpenSea NFT Offer" website (connect-web3[.]dev) and found that it is a scam masquerading as the legitimate OpenSea platform. It is created to trick individuals into taking actions that could lead to significant financial losses. Users should avoid sites like connect-web3[.]dev.

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 "OpenSea NFT Offer" overview

OpenSea (opensea[.]io) is an online marketplace for buying, selling, and trading non-fungible tokens (NFTs). It allows users to explore a wide variety of digital assets, all built on blockchain technology. OpenSea is one of the largest NFT platforms.

The fake website (connect-web3[.]dev) claims that individuals have received a new offer and encourages them to review and finalize their offers. To do so, the fraudulent site instructs visitors to connect their wallets. However, connecting a wallet on connect-web3[.]dev results in signing a malicious contract.

After this contract is signed, a malicious tool known as cryptocurrency drainer is activated. This drainer is crafted to steal cryptocurrency holdings from the victim by transferring cryptocurrency from their wallet to the one owned by scammers. Once the transaction is completed, it cannot be reversed without the recipient's involvement.

Therefore, victims of such scams suffer permanent financial loss. Therefore, individuals should carefully investigate any cryptocurrency platform prior to using it.

Threat Summary:

Name	Fake OpenSea NFT Offer
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	You have received new offers
Disguise	Legitimate OpenSea online marketplace
Related Domain	connect-web3[.]dev
Detection Names	Antiy-AVL (Malicious), Combo Cleaner (Phishing), Emsisoft (Phishing), Kaspersky (Phishing), Sophos (Phishing), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Symptoms	Unofficial domain, lack of official verification, unrealistic claims, too good-to-be-true promises.
Distribution methods	Compromised/hijacked websites, stolen or fake social media profiles, rogue online pop-up ads, unwanted applications.
Damage	Loss of sensitive private information, monetary loss, identity theft, possible malware infections.
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Conclusion

There are numerous fraudulent cryptocurrency platforms mimicking legitimate ones. Typically, scammers lure users by offering them to receive some benefits (e.g., free tokens or other rewards). Victims of such scams lose cryptocurrency or experience other issues like identity theft. Thus, it is important to examine crypto platforms before connecting wallets or taking other actions.

Some examples of fake platforms similar to the one described in our article are "The Sandbox Game", "SquidGrow Migration Claim", and "$CRV Token Airdrop".

How did I open a scam website?

Scam pages employing crypto drainers are often promoted through fake or stolen accounts on X (formerly Twitter) and compromised WordPress sites. Users might also be enticed to visit these fraudulent pages via phishing emails or SMS messages containing harmful links or attachments, as well as pop-ups, ads, and similar content presented by shady sites.

Notifications sent from dubious web pages and ads displayed by malicious adware can also be designed to promote scam websites. Overall, in most cases, users land on scam sites unintentionally.

How to avoid visiting scam pages?

Exercise caution when dealing with unexpected or irrelevant emails, particularly those from unknown addresses; avoid opening any suspicious attachments or links within those emails. Download software and files from trusted app stores or reputable websites. Do not click pop-ups, ads, and links found on unreliable websites.

Avoid allowing suspicious sites to display notifications. Additionally, keep your operating system and applications up to date, utilize reliable security tools, and perform regular scans on your computer. If your computer is already infected with unwanted apps, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate them.

The appearance of "OpenSea NFT Offer" scam (GIF):

The official OpenSea website (opensea[.]io):

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Quick menu:

• What is Fake OpenSea NFT Offer?
• 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 a scam website?

A scam website is a deceptive online platform designed to trick users into performing actions that serve the interests of the scammers. These sites often imitate legitimate businesses or services to appear credible.

What is the purpose of a scam page?

Scammers often use these websites to illegally acquire funds (e.g., cryptocurrency) or personal information from users. They may also leverage scam sites to spread malware.

Why do I encounter scam pages?

Scam websites are spread through misleading emails, hacked (or fake) social media accounts, deceptive advertisements, and sites linked to questionable advertising networks. Additionally, adware and notifications from shady pages can lead users to fraudulent pages.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from online scams?

Combo Cleaner can analyze all the websites you browse, pinpointing those that might pose a threat. It also detects scam sites, issuing warnings and blocking access to protect users.

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