How to identify scams like "PEANUT Airdrop"

What is the fake "PEANUT Airdrop"?

Our examination of the website (airdrop-peanut[.]com) has revealed that it is a copy of the original site (peanut-coin[.]xyz). The fake web page is designed to trick visitors into believing that they can participate in a crypto giveaway. Anyone who falls victim to this scam could face serious financial losses.

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 "PEANUT Airdrop" overview

Peanut the Squirrel ($PEANUT) is an ERC-based meme cryptocurrency token inspired by viral internet icons like Doge and Harambe. The project (peanut-coin[.]xyz) aims to foster a community driven by nostalgia and a shared interest in cryptocurrency, with the potential for financial returns.

The fake website (airdrop-peanut[.]com) offers individuals the opportunity to participate in an airdrop event (giveaway). To participate, it encourages users to connect their wallets. However, doing so activates a cryptocurrency drainer - a tool designed to transfer cryptocurrency holdings from the victim's wallet to the scammer's.

Essentially, this whole scam is utilized to steal cryptocurrency from unsuspecting individuals by enticing them to claim free tokens. Once cryptocurrency is transferred from a victim's wallet, recovering those funds is extremely challenging due to the inherent irreversibility of cryptocurrency transactions.

As a result, it is highly advisable for users to thoroughly analyze websites before connecting their wallets, sending cryptocurrency, or engaging in any other activities. This precaution helps to mitigate the risk of financial loss and other issues.

Threat Summary:

Name	Fake PEANUT Airdrop
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Participants can receive free $PEANUT tokens
Disguise	Legitimate Peanut the Squirrel project website
Related Domain	airdrop-peanut[.]com, claim-pnutsol[.]com
Detection Names (airdrop-peanut[.]com)	Ermes (Not Recommended), Trustwave (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 examples of similar sites posing as legitimate platforms to deceive users. Their primary goal is to trick individuals into connecting their wallets, which leads to cryptocurrency theft. Therefore, users should check websites, particularly those related to cryptocurrency, to avoid potential issues.

More examples of similar scams are "FreeDum Fighters Presale", "Wallet Recovery Bot", and "CYBRO Airdrop".

How did I open a scam website?

It is common for scams designed to trick users into running crypto drainers to be promoted using stolen or fake X (Twitter) or other social media accounts, and hijacked WordPress pages. Fraudulent emails containing links or attachments are also used to promote scam websites. Also, users can land on scam pages through ads displayed by adware.

In other cases, users open scam sites through misleading advertisements and pop-ups, links on dubious websites, notifications from unreliable pages, and sites associated with rogue advertising networks (e.g., various torrent sites).

How to avoid visiting scam pages?

Be careful when encountering ads, pop-ups, or other content on questionable websites. Do not click these ads, and avoid agreeing to receive notifications from suspicious sites. Be cautious with messages on social media or email that have links or attachments. Always download software from official sources or trusted app stores.

Keep your operating system and applications up to date, and use a reputable security tool to run regular scans on your system. 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 the fake "PEANUT Airdrop" (GIF):

Another example of Peanut airdrop-themed drainer website:

The original page (peanut-coin[.]xyz):

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Quick menu:

• What is Fake PEANUT Airdrop?
• 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 fake cryptocurrency giveaway?

A fake cryptocurrency giveaway is a scam where scammers promise free cryptocurrency to lure users in. To claim the "rewards", potential victims usually are instructed to send a small amount of cryptocurrency, connect their wallets, or provide personal information.

What is the purpose of a fake crypto airdrop?

Typically, crooks employ these scams to extract cryptocurrency or personal information from victims.

Why do I encounter scam pages?

Scams are often promoted through stolen social media accounts, compromised pages, and fraudulent emails with links or attachments. Users can also encounter scam sites via deceptive ads, pop-ups, links on questionable websites, and notifications from unreliable platforms.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from online scams?

Combo Cleaner scans the websites you visit for potential threats, detects scam sites, and issues alerts. It blocks access to these dangerous sites to provide protection.

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