How to recognize fake giveaways like the $EBULL Airdrop

What is the fake "$EBULL Airdrop"?

Our analysis of the website (ethereumbull[.]app) reveals that it impersonates the real site, ethereumbull.com. This fraudulent platform is designed to deceive users into actions that could lead to substantial financial losses. We strongly recommend exercising caution when encountering such sites to avoid falling victim to scams.

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 "$EBULL Airdrop" in detail

$EBULL is a meme cryptocurrency built on the Ethereum blockchain. The token does not have any specific utility or purpose beyond its role as a market symbol. As we mentioned in the introduction, the original website of $EBULL is ethereumbull.com, and scammers have created a fake one, ethereumbull[.]app.

On the fraudulent page, users are offered to participate in an airdrop, a $EBULL token giveaway. The site aims to attract users by offering to obtain cryptocurrency for free. The goal is to lure individuals into connecting their wallets. Upon connecting a wallet, a cryptocurrency drainer is activated.

A drainer is a malicious tool that takes cryptocurrency from a victim's wallet and sends it to the scammer's wallet. Since cryptocurrency transactions cannot be undone, once the funds are transferred, they are gone for good unless the scammer decides to return them. Thus, users should be careful when connecting wallets, sharing personal details, or making transactions.

Threat Summary:

Name	Fake $EBULL giveaway
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Participants can receive $EBULL tokens for free
Disguise	The real $EBULL site (ethereumbull.com)
Related Domain	ethereumbull[.]app
Detection Names	alphaMountain.ai (Phishing), Fortinet (Phishing), Forcepoint ThreatSeeker (Suspicious), G-Data (Phishing), Seclookup (Malicious), 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.
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.

Similar scams in general

Fraudulent websites that utilize crypto drainers often imitate legitimate platforms to lure users into connecting their wallets by promising free tokens, rewards, or other advantages. Their main goal is to steal funds from the wallets. Recognizing these fake sites and taking the right precautions is essential to avoid falling victim to these scams.

A couple of examples of fake platforms similar to the one described in our article are "$PLENA Token Claims", "Mantle Rewards Station", and "Coinbase Enhanced Security Measures".

How did I open a scam website?

Scammers frequently distribute crypto drainer scams via compromised WordPress sites or hacked social media accounts on platforms like X/Twitter and Facebook. They also use questionable ad networks, often used by illegal movie streaming pages, torrent sites, and similar websites, to direct users to fraudulent platforms.

Moreover, scammers may entice users to visit scam sites through misleading ads, pop-ups, suspicious links, deceptive emails, or even ads delivered by adware. In general, scammers employ a wide range of strategies to deceive users.

How to avoid visiting scam pages?

Avoid granting permission for suspicious websites to send you notifications. Stick to reputable search engines and only download apps or files from official websites or trusted app stores. Do not trust (open) links in irrelevant or other suspicious emails from unknown addresses, and avoid interacting with pop-ups, links, and ads on shady sites.

Regularly scan your computer for unwanted software and security threats. Keep all software and the operating system up to date, and use a reputable security tool. 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 "$EBULL Airdrop" scam website (GIF):

Real website:

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▼ 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 Fake $EBULL giveaway?
• 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 airdrop?

A fake airdrop is a scam in which fraudsters offer free cryptocurrency or other benefits to lure victims into making compromising actions.

What is the purpose of a fake airdrop?

Scammers use fake airdrops to deceive individuals into revealing sensitive information, such as private keys, passwords, or other personal details, which they can use to steal funds. They may also deploy crypto drainers to steal cryptocurrency from victims' wallets or try to trick users into making manual transactions.

Why do I encounter fake pop-ups?

Scammers often spread scams through hacked/compromised sites, stolen social media accounts, torrent sites, illegal streaming pages, and similar platforms, misleading ads, pop-ups, deceptive emails, or adware.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from pop-up scams?

Combo Cleaner scans every website you visit and can detect malicious sites, including scam pages. If such a site is detected, you will be immediately warned and access will be blocked.

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