Avoid losing digital assets to fake "$doginme Airdrop" websites
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What is the fake "$doginme Airdrop"?
While investigating deceptive websites, our researchers discovered the "$doginme Airdrop" scam on dogin-meme.pages[.]dev (keep in mind that it could be hosted elsewhere).
This airdrop is fake, and it is not associated with any existing projects, platforms, or entities. The scam functions as a crypto drainer – by siphoning funds from victims' digital wallets.
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 $1 billion in crypto to scams – that's about one out of every four dollars reported lost, more than any other payment method.
Fake "$doginme Airdrop" overview
This fake "$doginme Airdrop" was discovered on dogin-meme.pages[.]dev, but it could also be promoted on other domains. The scam imitates the official site (dogin.meme) of the doginme memecoin. However, this scheme is in no way associated with doginme or any other existing projects, platforms, and entities.
This bogus airdrop is a cryptocurrency drainer. When users connect their digital wallets, they sign a malicious contract that facilitates the drainer.
Funds are transferred from victims' wallets to those in the scammers' possession. These automated transactions may appear vague, thus remaining unnoticed for a long time. Some drainers can approximate the value of digital assets and prioritize their theft.
It must be mentioned that due to the nearly untraceable nature of cryptocurrency transactions – they cannot be reversed. Hence, victims of scams like this fake "$doginme Airdrop" cannot get their money back.
Name | "$doginme Airdrop" crypto drainer |
Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud, Cryptocurrency Drainer |
Disguise | doginme memecoin airdrop |
Related Domains | dogin-meme.pages[.]dev |
Detection Names | Seclookup (Malicious), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal) |
Serving IP Address | 172.66.44.110 |
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 drainer scam examples
We have investigated numerous online scams; "The Sandbox Game", "SquidGrow Migration Claim", and "SWELL Airdrop" are just a couple examples of drainers.
Cryptocurrency-targeting schemes operate in one of three primary ways – using draining mechanisms to steal funds from compromised wallets, phishing for wallet log-in credentials, and tricking users into manually transferring funds to scammer-owned wallets.
Various lures are used to entice and interest victims, such as claims concerning airdrops/giveaways, presale events, new coin/token promotions, account/wallet issues, security upgrades, and so forth.
Due to how widespread deceptive and malicious content is on the Web and how well-made it can be – we highly recommend exercising caution when browsing and investing.
How did I open a scam website?
Cryptocurrency drainers are often promoted via intrusive pop-up ads. Some are fully functional drainers themselves; they bait users into "connecting" digital wallets by making various promises. It is worth mentioning that these pop-ups have been encountered on genuine sites that had been compromised.
Another common promotional technique is social media spam. These posts and direct/private messages (DMs/PMs) can be made using accounts stolen from real projects, companies, entrepreneurs, celebrities, influencers, etc.
Other endorsement methods are not unlikely. Aside from the previously mentioned techniques, online scams are promoted through different types of spam (e.g., emails, SMSes, forum posts, browser notifications, etc.), webpages utilizing rogue advertising networks, typosquatting (mistyped URLs), and adware.
How to avoid visiting scam websites?
Vigilance and caution are essential to online safety. Therefore, be wary of advertisements and websites making promises the sound too good to be true. Take note of URLs and type them attentively.
Do not use sites offering pirated programs/media or other questionable services (e.g., Torrenting, illegal streaming/downloading, etc.), as these webpages usually employ rogue advertising networks.
Do not permit dubious pages to deliver browser notifications; ignore or deny these requests (i.e., press "Block", "Block Notifications", etc.). Be vigilant with incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages; do not open attachments or links found in suspicious/irrelevant mail.
Download only from official/trustworthy 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 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 "$doginme Airdrop" website (GIF):
Screenshot of the official doginme website (dogin.meme):
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 "$doginme 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?
Basically, online scams are a type of content promoted on the Internet that aims to deceive users into performing specific actions. For example, victims can be lured into connecting digital wallets to cryptocurrency drainers, making monetary transactions, disclosing sensitive information, buying products, downloading/installing software, subscribing to services, and so on.
What is the purpose of online scams?
The purpose of online scams is to generate revenue at victims' expense. Cyber criminals primarily profit 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 "$doginme Airdrop" scam, can I get my money back?
No, these transactions cannot be reversed due to their practically untraceable nature. Therefore, victims of scams like this fake "$doginme Airdrop" cannot recover the stolen assets.
Why do I encounter online scams?
Online scams are predominantly promoted via websites using rogue advertising networks, malvertising, spam (e.g., emails, PMs/DMs, social media posts, browser notifications, etc.), typosquatting, and adware.
Will Combo Cleaner protect me from online scams?
Combo Cleaner is designed to scan visited websites and detect deceptive/malicious pages. Should you happen upon such a webpage – Combo Cleaner will warn you immediately and block all further access to it.
▼ Show Discussion