Avoid losing digital assets to fake "LINGO Airdrop" websites

What is the fake "LINGO Airdrop"?

Our researchers discovered this fake "LINGO Airdrop" during a routine investigation. The scam entices users into exposing their wallets to a cryptocurrency drainer. Victims of this scheme experience financial loss. It must be stressed that this bogus airdrop is not associated with the actual Lingo website (mylingo.io).

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 "LINGO Airdrop" overview

We found this fake airdrop on airdrop-lingoislands[.]com, yet it could also be hosted on other domains. The scheme imitates the official site of Lingo mylingo.io – a gamified token that leverages real-world assets. The imitator page lures users with a promise of an airdrop.

It must be emphasized that this giveaway is fake and in no way associated with the real Lingo or any other existing projects, platforms, and entities.

When a user presses the "CLAIM NOW" button, they are prompted to connect their cryptowallet. Connecting a digital wallet to the scam means signing a malicious contract that facilitates the cryptocurrency drainer. This mechanism allows funds to be transferred in automated transactions from victims' wallets to those in the scammers' possession.

Some drainers can approximate the value of digital assets and target them first. These transactions may look innocuous – hence, they can remain unnoticed for a significant amount of time.

It must be mentioned that cryptocurrency transactions are irreversible because of their practically untraceable nature. Therefore, victims of scams like this fake "LINGO Airdrop" website cannot get their money back.

Threat Summary:

Name	"LINGO Airdrop" crypto drainer
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud, Cryptocurrency Drainer
Disguise	Airdrop on Lingo
Related Domains	airdrop-lingoislands[.]com
Detection Names	Combo Cleaner (Phishing), Fortinet (Phishing), G-Data (Phishing), Kaspersky (Phishing), Lionic (Phishing), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address	172.67.201.242
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

"Trust Wallet Airdrop", "$AVAIL Airdrop", "ClaimTokens", and "WOOFi Wallet Connection" are merely some of our newest articles on crypto drainers.

Cryptocurrency-specific scams primarily function in one of three ways – using draining mechanisms siphon funds from exposed wallets, phishing for wallet log-in credentials, and deceiving users into manually transferring assets to scammer-owned wallets.

While online scams are often poorly constructed and full of mistakes, they can be competently made and even convincingly disguised as content associated with legitimate entities (e.g., companies, organizations, institutions, service providers, etc.).

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

How did I open a scam website?

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

Crypto drainers are often promoted through intrusive pop-up advertisements. Some are fully functional drainers themselves; users are enticed into "connecting" their wallets by promises of various incredible benefits. It is pertinent to mention that these adverts have been encountered on genuine websites that had been compromised.

Additionally, cryptocurrency-centered schemes are endorsed via social media spam. These posts and direct/private messages can be made using hacked accounts (i.e., ones originally belonging to real entrepreneurs, celebrities, influencers, projects, companies, organizations, etc.).

How to avoid visiting scam websites?

Caution is critical to online safety. Therefore, be cautious with advertisements and websites which make promises that sound too good to be true. Pay attention to URLs and type them carefully. Do not use sites that offer pirated content or other dubious services (e.g., illegal streaming/downloading, Torrenting, etc.), as these webpages are typically monetized through rogue advertising networks.

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

Download only from official/trustworthy sources and treat installations with care (e.g., study terms and options, use "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opt out of supplementary apps, extensions, tools, etc.) – to prevent bundled/harmful software 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 "LINGO Airdrop" website (GIF):

Screenshot of the official Lingo website (mylingo.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 "LINGO 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 deceptive messages that aim to trick users into performing certain actions. For example, victims can be lured into connecting digital wallets to crypto drainers, making monetary transactions, disclosing sensitive information, purchasing products, subscribing to services, downloading/installing software, and so forth.

What is the purpose of online scams?

Online scams are designed to generate revenue at victims' expense. Scammers can profit by obtaining funds through deception, promoting content (e.g., websites, products, services, etc.), selling/abusing sensitive data, and distributing malware.

I have lost digital assets to the "LINGO 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 "LINGO Airdrop" cannot recover their funds.

Why do I encounter online scams?

Online scams are predominantly endorsed via sites that employ rogue advertising networks, spam (e.g., emails, DMs/PMs, browser notifications, social media posts, etc.), malvertising, typosquatting, and adware.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from online scams?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can scan visited websites and detect rogue, deceptive/scam, and malicious pages. Should you happen upon such a site – Combo Cleaner will immediately warn you and block all further access to it.

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