Avoid losing digital assets to fake "Astherus Airdrop" websites

What is the fake "Astherus Airdrop" website?

While investigating untrustworthy sites, our researchers found this fake "Astherus Airdrop" on astherus-finance[.]site (could be hosted elsewhere). This scam imitates the Astherus platform (astherus.finance). Users who try to participate in this bogus airdrop – expose 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 "Astherus Airdrop" website overview

This scam is an identical visual copy of Astherus (astherus.finance) – a multi-asset liquidity hub. It must be stressed that this fake webpage (astherus-finance[.]site; possibly other domains) is in no way associated with the real Astherus or any other existing projects, platforms, and entities.

Users deceived into attempting to participate in this fraudulent airdrop are prompted to connect their digital wallets. Doing so essentially signs a malicious contract that facilitates the crypto drainer. Funds are transferred in automated transactions to scammer-owned wallets.

This activity may look vague and remain unnoticed for a significant amount of time. Some drainers can approximate the value of digital assets and prioritize their theft.

It must be mentioned that due to the practically untraceable nature of cryptocurrency transactions – they cannot be reversed. Therefore, victims of scams like this fake "Astherus Airdrop" airdrop – cannot recover their assets.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Astherus Airdrop" crypto drainer
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud, Cryptocurrency Drainer
Disguise	Astherus
Related Domains	astherus-finance[.]site
Detection Names (astherus-finance[.]site)	N/A (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address (astherus-finance[.]site)	172.67.162.234
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

"NodePay Claims", "Claim Strategic Bitcoin Reserve", and "MAV Token Eligibility Check" are merely a few of our latest articles on crypto drainers.

Typically, scams targeting digital currencies do so by using draining mechanisms to siphon funds from exposed wallets, phishing for wallet log-in credentials, and tricking users into manually transferring assets to scammer-owned wallets. Various lures are used to gain victims' interest, such as airdrops/giveaways, pre-sale events, new coin/token promotions, security updates, account/wallet issues, and so on.

The Internet is rife with deceptive and malicious content. Therefore, we highly recommend being vigilant when browsing and investing.

How did I open a scam website?

Online scams are primarily promoted through spam (e.g., emails, PMs/DMs, social media/ forum posts, SMSes, browser notifications, etc.), websites that use rogue advertising networks, intrusive adverts (malvertising), mistyped URLs (typosquatting), and adware.

Crypto drainers are commonly endorsed via intrusive pop-up ads. Some are fully functional drainers themselves; they entice users into "connecting" their digital wallets by promising various boons. It is worth mentioning that these advertisements may be encountered on genuine sites that have been compromised.

Another prevalent promotional technique is social media spam. These posts and private/direct messages can be made using stolen accounts (i.e., ones originally belonging to real entrepreneurs, celebrities, influencers, projects, organizations, companies, etc.).

How to avoid visiting scam websites?

We strongly recommend caution when browsing. Therefore, be wary of advertisements and sites making promises that sound too good to be true. Pay attention to URLs and type them carefully. Do not use websites offering pirated content or other dubious services (e.g., Torrenting, illegal streaming/downloading, etc.), as these webpages usually use rogue advertising networks.

Do not permit suspect pages to deliver browser notifications; instead, ignore or deny their requests (i.e., select "Block", "Block Notifications", etc.). Be vigilant with incoming emails and other messages; do not open attachments or links present in suspicious/irrelevant mail.

Download only from official/verified channels and approach installations with care (e.g., study terms and options, use "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opt out of additional apps, extensions, etc.) – to prevent bundled/harmful 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 "Astherus Airdrop" website (GIF):

Screenshot of the official Astherus website (astherus.finance):

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 "Astherus 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 designed to trick users into performing certain actions. For example, victims can be enticed into connecting digital wallets to crypto drainers, sending money to scammers, disclosing vulnerable data, purchasing products, downloading/installing programs, etc.

What is the purpose of online scams?

Online scams aim to generate revenue at victims' expense. Profit can be made by obtaining funds through deception, endorsing content (e.g., sites, software, products, services, etc.), abusing/selling private data, and proliferating malware.

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

Cryptocurrency transactions are irreversible due to their nearly untraceable nature. Therefore, victims of scams like this fake "Astherus Airdrop" site cannot get their funds back.

Why do I encounter online scams?

Online scams are mainly promoted through malvertising, websites that use rogue advertising networks, spam (e.g., emails, PMs/DMs, social media posts, browser notifications, etc.), typosquatting, and adware.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from online scams?

Combo Cleaner can scan the websites you visit for deceptive/malicious content. Hence, should you happen upon a page hosting such content – you will be immediately warned, and further access to it will be blocked.

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