How to avoid scams like "Tesla Foundation Giveaway"

What is the fake "Tesla Foundation Giveaway"?

Our analysis of the website has shown that this is a scam posing as a giveaway held by the Tesla Foundation. Scammers promote it using fake X (formerly Twitter) accounts. Their goal is to trick unsuspecting individuals into taking actions that would lead to the theft of their cryptocurrency.

"Tesla Foundation Giveaway" scam in detail

This scam website falsely claims to be affiliated with the "Tesla Foundation" and promotes a fake $20,000,000 cryptocurrency (BTC, ETH, SOL, and DOGE) giveaway. It targets crypto holders by pretending to reward them for their supposed loyalty. The site encourages visitors to join the event immediately, using a countdown timer to create urgency and pressure users into taking action without thinking.

The scam also involves a deepfake video that appears to show Elon Musk endorsing the giveaway. In reality, this is a typical cryptocurrency giveaway scam designed to trick victims into believing that they will receive a large reward for sending a small amount of their cryptocurrency. When the funds are stolen, they cannot be recovered due to the irreversible nature of crypto transactions.

It is important to be extremely cautious when encountering websites or messages that promise large rewards in exchange for cryptocurrency. Scams like this rely on urgency, fake endorsements, and professional-looking designs to manipulate victims into acting without verifying the legitimacy of the offer.

Conclusion

This scam is a clear example of how fraudsters exploit popular brands and public figures to deceive unsuspecting users. The promise of high rewards is one of the most popular techniques for stealing cryptocurrency. It is highly advisable to always approach such offers with skepticism and verify their authenticity.

Examples of similar scams are "DeepSeek Crypto Giveaway Scam", "Tether Giveaway Scam", and "Elon Musk X Donald Trump Crypto Giveaway Scam".

How did I open a scam website?

Scammers employ a range of tactics to lure people into visiting fraudulent websites. The scam discussed in our article is promoted through deceptive posts on X (formerly Twitter), where users are directed to the scam site by clicking a link in the post.

Scam sites can also be encountered through misleading advertisements, deceptive links shared via email, pop-ups on untrustworthy websites, and push notifications from unreliable sources. Moreover, these pages are often accessed through torrent sites, illegal movie streaming platforms, and similar websites that use rogue advertising networks.

In some cases, adware installed on a device may be used to trick users into opening scam web pages.

How to avoid visiting scam pages?

Stay cautious when browsing the web—never allow notifications from questionable sites or click on suspicious ads, buttons, or pop-ups. When downloading software or files, use only trusted sources like official websites or app stores. Treat unexpected emails or messages from unfamiliar senders with suspicion, especially if they include links or attachments.

Keep your devices protected by regularly updating your operating system and apps and performing routine security scans. 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 "Tesla Foundation Giveaway" scam (GIF):

Another screenshot of the "Tesla Foundation Giveaway" scam:

Fake Elon Musk post promoting the "Tesla Foundation Giveaway" scam:

Another post promoting the scam:

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Quick menu:

• What is Fake Tesla Foundation 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 crypto scam?

In most cases, it is a scam that promises high returns or other rewards in exchange for participation.

What is the purpose of a crypto scam?

Scammers use such scams to steal cryptocurrency or sensitive information.

Why do I encounter scam websites?

Scammers use various tactics to direct people to fraudulent websites, including fake or stolen social media accounts, misleading ads, links in emails, pop-ups on shady sites, and push notifications from unreliable sources. Scam sites are also often promoted through torrent sites, illegal streaming platforms, and other pages that use rogue advertising networks.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from scam websites?

Combo Cleaner thoroughly scans all the websites you visit, efficiently identifying malicious sites, including scam pages. Users are promptly alerted and access to these harmful sites is blocked for added protection.