Avoid losing digital assets to fake "Trust Wallet Airdrop" sites

What is the fake "Trust Wallet Airdrop"?

While investigating suspicious sites, our research team discovered this fake "Trust Wallet Airdrop". The scam imitates the official Trust Wallet website – trustwallet.com; not only in appearance but also with its URL – claiming-trustwallet[.]com (other domains are possible).

It must be emphasized that this giveaway is a hoax, and the goal of the scam site is to lure users into exposing their digital wallets to a crypto drainer.

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 "Trust Wallet Airdrop" overview

The scam masquerades as Trust Wallet (trustwallet.com) – the official website of a cryptocurrency wallet of the same name. However, the similarities are not merely visual, as we discovered the scheme promoted on claiming-trustwallet[.]com – a domain incredibly close to that of the real site, which creates an incredible impression of legitimacy. It is pertinent to mention that this scam could be hosted elsewhere.

The webpage lures users with a promise of an airdrop. It is fake, and the site itself is in no way associated with the actual Trust Wallet or any other legitimate products, services, platforms, or entities.

When a user attempts to check their eligibility for the supposed airdrop, they are prompted to connect their digital wallet. Doing so signs a malicious contract that enables the drainer to siphon funds from victims' wallets.

These automated transactions may appear vague, and thus, they can remain unnoticed for a long time. Some drainers can approximate the value of digital assets and prioritize their theft.

Furthermore, because of the nearly untraceable nature of cryptocurrency transactions – they cannot be reversed. Therefore, victims of scams like this fake "Trust Wallet Airdrop" cannot recover their funds.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Trust Wallet Airdrop" crypto drainer
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud, Cryptocurrency Drainer
Disguise	Trust Wallet airdrop
Related Domains	claiming-trustwallet[.]com
Detection Names	Combo Cleaner (Phishing), CRDF (Malicious), Emsisoft (Phishing), Fortinet (Phishing), Sophos (Malware), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address	104.21.88.103
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

"$AVAIL Airdrop", "ClaimTokens", "Maestro", and "WOOFi Wallet Connection" are just some of our latest articles on drainers.

Scams that target cryptocurrency typically do so in one of three ways – by using draining mechanisms to steal assets from exposed wallets, phishing for wallet log-in credentials, and tricking users into manually transferring funds to scammer-owned wallets.

However, the Internet is full of various scams, and while they differ in utilized mechanisms and appearance, their end goal is the same – to generate revenue at victims' expense. Therefore, we strongly advise exercising caution when browsing and investing.

How did I open a scam website?

Cryptocurrency drainers are commonly promoted via intrusive pop-up advertisements (malvertising). These pop-ups may be able to execute draining scripts themselves; they entice users into "connecting" digital wallets by promising various boons. It is worth mentioning that such adverts have been encountered on legitimate websites that had been hacked.

Additionally, crypto-specific schemes are endorsed through social media spam. Promotional posts and direct/private messages (DMs/PMs) can be made using accounts stolen from real projects, companies, organizations, entrepreneurs, celebrities, influences, etc.

Other possible promotional techniques include: webpages that employ rogue advertising networks, different types of spam (e.g., emails, SMSes, browser notifications, forum posts, etc.), typosquatting (mistyped URLs), and adware.

How to avoid visiting scam websites?

Caution is paramount to online safety. Therefore, be wary of online offers that sound too good to be true. Pay attention to URLs and enter them carefully. Do not use websites offering pirated programs/media or other questionable services (e.g., Torrenting, illegal streaming/downloading, etc.), as these webpages typically use rogue advertising networks.

Do not permit suspect pages to display browser notifications; instead, ignore or deny such requests (i.e., press "Block", "Block Notifications", etc.). Approach incoming emails and other messages with vigilance; do not open attachments or links found in suspicious/irrelevant mail.

Download only from official/verified sources and treat installations with care (e.g., read terms, study options, use "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opt out of additional apps, extensions, etc.) – to prevent bundled/dangerous software (like adware) from infiltrating the system.

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 "Trust Wallet Airdrop" website (GIF):

Screenshot of the official Trust Wallet website (trustwallet.com):

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 "Trust Wallet 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?

Online scams are a type of deceptive content promoted on the Web that aims to trick users into performing specific actions. For example, victims can be enticed/scared into connecting digital wallets to crypto drainers, sending money to scammers, disclosing private information, purchasing products, downloading/installing programs, subscribing to services, calling fake support lines, etc.

What is the purpose of online scams?

Online scams are created for financial gain. Cyber criminals predominantly profit by obtaining funds through deception, promoting content (e.g., websites, products, services, etc.), selling/abusing vulnerable data, and spreading malware.

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

Cryptocurrency transactions are irreversible due to their practically untraceable nature. Hence, victims of scams like this fake "Trust Wallet Airdrop" cannot retrieve their assets.

Why do I encounter online scams?

Online scams are primarily endorsed via spam (e.g., DMs/PMs, emails, SMSes, social media/ forum posts, browser notifications, etc.), webpages that use rogue advertising networks, intrusive ads (malvertising), misspelled URLs (typosquatting), and adware.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from online scams?

Combo Cleaner is designed to scan visited sites and detect deceptive and malicious pages. Therefore, should you enter such a webpage – you will be immediately warned, and further access to it will be denied.

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