Avoid losing your digital assets through fake "$OBT Airdrop" websites
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What is the fake "$OBT Airdrop"?
"$OBT Airdrop" is a scam that masquerades as the official website of Orbiter Finance (orbiter.finance). The fake site promotes an airdrop of the OBT token (Orbiter Finance's native token). Users who attempt to participate in this bogus event – inadvertently 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 $1 billion in crypto to scams – that's about one out of every four dollars reported lost, more than any other payment method.
Fake "$OBT Airdrop" overview
We discovered the "$OBT Airdrop" scam promoted on orbiter.finance-claims[.]xyz and checker-orbiterfinances[.]com, but other domains are not unlikely. The fraudulent website claims that eligible users can participate in an OBT airdrop – the native token of Orbiter Finance (orbiter.finance) – a platform (bridge) that allows users to transfer Ethereum-based assets between different networks.
It must be emphasized that this airdrop is fake and in no way associated with the actual Orbiter Finance or any other existing platforms and entities.
When a cryptowallet is connected to the scam page, a malicious contract is signed that facilitates the cryptocurrency drainer. Essentially, victims' funds are transferred to scammer-owned wallets. These transactions are automated and may appear vague; thereby, they can remain unnoticed for a long time. Some drainers can approximate the value of digital assets and prioritize their theft.
Cryptocurrency transactions are irreversible because of their practically untraceable nature. Therefore, victims of scams like this fake "$OBT Airdrop" cannot recover their assets.
Name | "$OBT Airdrop" crypto drainer |
Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud, Cryptocurrency Drainer |
Disguise | OBT airdrop on Orbiter Finance |
Related Domains | orbiter.finance-claims[.]xyz; checker-orbiterfinances[.]com |
VirusTotal Detections and Serving IP Addresses | orbiter.finance-claims[.]xyz (104.21.16.29); checker-orbiterfinances[.]com (104.21.6.37) |
Distribution methods | Compromised websites, social media spam, rogue online pop-up ads, potentially unwanted applications. |
Damage | Monetary loss |
Malware Removal (Windows) | To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. |
Cryptocurrency drainer scam examples
"Claim Obol", "Jupiverse Wallet Connection", "DApp Rectification", and "$TRUMP Airdrop" are merely some of our latest articles on cryptocurrency drainers.
These scams use various lures to deceive their victims, such as claims concerning airdrops/giveaways, new coin/token promotions, pre-sale events, account/wallet issues, security upgrades, and so on.
While online scams are often poorly made and riddled with mistakes, they can be competently crafted and even believably disguised as content associated with legitimate entities.
How did I open a scam website?
Cryptocurrency drainers are often promoted via intrusive pop-up advertisements (malvertising). These ads can be fully functional drainers themselves; they entice users into "linking" their cryptowallets by promising incredible benefits. It is noteworthy that these pop-ups have been encountered on genuine websites that had been compromised.
Another common promotional technique is social media spam. These posts and direct/private messages (DMs/PMs) can be made using hacked accounts (i.e., ones originally belonging to real entrepreneurs, celebrities, influencers, projects, companies, organizations, etc.).
However, other endorsement methods are not unlikely. Generally, online scams are promoted through sites that employ rogue advertising networks, different types of spam (e.g., emails, SMSes, browser notifications, forum posts, etc.), malvertising, typosquatting (mistyped URLs), and adware.
How to avoid visiting scam websites?
Caution is essential to online safety. Therefore, always be wary of sites, ads, and messages making promises that sound too good to be true. Pay attention to URLs and enter them carefully. Do not permit suspicious pages to deliver browser notifications; instead, ignore or deny their requests (i.e., click "Block", "Block Notifications", etc.).
Be vigilant with incoming emails and other messages; do not open attachments or links present in dubious/irrelevant mail. Do not use websites offering pirated content or other questionable services (e.g., Torrenting, illegal streaming/downloading, etc.), as these webpages usually utilize rogue advertising networks.
Download only from official/verified sources 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/harmful software 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 "$OBT Airdrop" website (GIF):
Screenshot of the official Orbiter Finance website (orbiter.finance):
Instant automatic malware removal:
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Quick menu:
- What is "$OBT 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 deceptive messages intended to trick users into performing certain actions. For example, victims can be deceived into connecting digital wallets to crypto drainers, disclosing vulnerable information, sending money to scammers, downloading/installing programs, purchasing products, subscribing to services, etc.
What is the purpose of online scams?
The purpose of online scams is to generate revenue for scammers. Profit can be made by obtaining funds through deception, endorsing content (e.g., websites, software, products, services, etc.), selling/abusing private data, and spreading malware.
I have lost digital assets to the "$OBT Airdrop" scam, can I get my money back?
Cryptocurrency transactions cannot be reversed due to their practically untraceable nature. Therefore, victims of scams like this fake "$OBT Airdrop" cannot get their money back.
Why do I encounter online scams?
Prevalent promotional techniques include: spam (e.g., emails, SMSes, DMs/PMs, social media posts, browser notifications, etc.), sites that use rogue advertising networks, intrusive advertisements, misspelled URLs, and adware.
Will Combo Cleaner protect me from online scams?
Combo Cleaner can scan visited websites for deceptive and malicious content. Should you happen upon a page that hosts such content – Combo Cleaner will immediately warn you and block all further access to the site.
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