Avoid losing digital assets to fake "$PAW Token Exchange" websites

What is the fake "$PAW Token Exchange"?

While investigating deceptive websites, our researchers discovered this fake "$PAW Token Exchange". It was endorsed on claims-pawfury[.]app (potentially on other domains). Regardless of any similarities to existing projects, platforms, and entities – this scam is not associated with any of them. The purpose of this fraudulent page is to trick users into exposing their digital wallets to a cryptocurrency 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 "$PAW Token Exchange" overview

This scam is a fake cryptocurrency exchange of the PAW token. We discovered it promoted on claims-pawfury[.]app – however, it could be hosted on other domains as well. It must be emphasized that this scheme is not associated with any existing projects, platforms, or entities.

When a cryptowallet is connected to the bogus website, a malicious contract is signed that facilitates the draining mechanism. Basically, funds are transferred from the victim's wallet to ones in the cyber criminals' possession. This activity may appear vague and as such can remain unnoticed for a long time.

Some drainers can approximate the value of digital assets and prioritize their theft. Cryptocurrency transactions cannot be reversed because of their nearly untraceable nature. Therefore, victims of scams like this fake "$PAW Token Exchange" site cannot recover the stolen assets.

Threat Summary:

Name	"$PAW Token Exchange" crypto drainer
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud, Cryptocurrency Drainer
Disguise	PAW token exchange
Related Domains	claims-pawfury[.]app
Detection Names (claims-pawfury[.]app)	Combo Cleaner (Phishing), Emsisoft (Phishing), Fortinet (Phishing), G-Data (Phishing), Netcraft (Malicious), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address (claims-pawfury[.]app)	172.67.136.118
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

We have examined thousands of online scams; "LINGO Airdrop", "Trust Wallet Airdrop", and "$AVAIL Airdrop" are just a few examples of crypto drainers.

Various lures are used by such schemes, including false claims concerning airdrops/giveaways, new coin/token promotions, pre-sale events, account/wallet issues, security upgrades, and so forth.

Online scams are often poorly made and riddled with mistakes, but they can be competently crafted, and some even perfectly copy the design of legitimate sites. Hence, vigilance is crucial when browsing and investing.

How did I open a scam website?

Crypto drainers are commonly promoted through intrusive pop-up advertisements (malvertising). Some of these ads are fully functional drainers themselves; they entice users into "linking" digital wallets by promising various boons. It is worth mentioning that such pop-ups have been encountered on legitimate websites that have been hacked.

Another prevalent promotional technique is social media spam. Posts and direct/private messages endorsing these schemes can be made using account stolen from real entrepreneurs, celebrities, influencers, projects, companies, etc.

However, other promotional techniques are not unlikely. In addition to the previously mentioned methods, online scams are promoted via webpages using rogue advertising networks, different types of spam (e.g., emails, SMSes, browser notifications, forum posts, etc.), typosquatting (misspelled URLs), and adware.

How to avoid visiting scam websites?

Caution is essential to online safety. Therefore, take note of URLs and type them carefully. Be wary of ads and sites making promises that sound too good to be true. Do not permit dubious pages to display browser notifications; instead, ignore or deny their requests (i.e., select "Block", "Block Notifications", etc.).

Do not use websites offering pirated software/media for other questionable services (e.g., Torrenting, illegal streaming/downloading, etc.), as these webpages typically employ rogue advertising networks. Approach incoming emails and other messages with vigilance; do not open attachments or links present in suspicious/irrelevant mail.

Download only from official/verified channels and treat installations with care (e.g., read terms, explore options, use "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opt out of additional apps, extensions, etc.) – to prevent bundled/hazardous software from infiltrating devices.

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 "$PAW Token Exchange" website (GIF):

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 "$PAW Token Exchange" 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 deceptive messages hosted on the Web that aim to trick users into performing specific actions. To expand upon this, victims can be deceived into connecting digital wallets to cryptocurrency drainers, sending money to scammers, revealing sensitive information, buying products, downloading/installing programs, subscribing to services, and so forth.

What is the purpose of online scams?

The purpose of online scams is to generate revenue for scammers. Profit can be made by acquiring funds through deception, endorsing content, abusing/selling private data, and proliferating malware.

I have lost digital assets to the "$PAW Token Exchange" scam, can I get my money back?

Cryptocurrency transactions cannot be reversed because of their practically untraceable nature. Therefore, retrieval of the stolen funds is not possible.

Why do I encounter online scams?

Prevalent promotional techniques include: websites that utilize rogue advertising networks, spam (e.g., social media/ forum posts, emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, browser notifications, etc.), intrusive ads (malvertising), mistyped URLs (typosquatting), and adware.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from online scams?

Combo Cleaner is designed to eliminate all kinds of threats. It is capable of scanning visited websites for deceptive/malicious content. Therefore, should you happen upon such a webpage – you will be immediately warned, and Combo Cleaner will restrict all further access to the site.

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