How to avoid scams like the bogus "AAVE Airdrop"

What is the fake "AAVE Airdrop"?

Our inspection has shown that this is a fake website (claim.aave-io[.]org) imitating the Aave cryptocurrency lending and borrowing platform (app.aave.com). It is designed to deceive users into participating in a fake airdrop (giveaway). Victims of this scam can lose their cryptocurrency holdings.

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 "AAVE Airdrop" in detail

Aave (app.aave.com) is a decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol built on blockchain technology that allows users to lend and borrow cryptocurrencies. Aave uses liquidity pools to facilitate transactions, and its native token, AAVE, is used for governance and to grant holders benefits such as discounted fees on the platform.

The fake website (claim.aave-io[.]org) masquerades as an AAVE Airdrop Portal. It falsely claims that users can receive AAVE tokens as part of the Aave Season 2 rewards. The site urges visitors to check their eligibility and claim the tokens by connecting their wallets. However, once a wallet is "connected," a cryptocurrency drainer is activated.

This drainer enables scammers to steal funds by automatically transferring cryptocurrency from the victims' wallets to the scammers' wallets without the victim's knowledge. Since crypto transactions are irreversible, victims cannot recover the stolen funds. It is important to be careful when visiting websites offering free tokens, rewards, or other benefits to avoid monetary loss or other issues.

Similar scams in general

Scam websites involving cryptocurrency drainers promise free tokens or rewards to lure victims. Once a wallet is connected, those drainers can transfer funds from the victim's wallet to the scammer's. Thus, users should always be cautious when visiting websites offering free tokens or rewards to protect against financial loss.

Examples of similar scams are the fake "Claim Kaspa", "PumpBTC Airdrop", and "Claim Empyreal (EMP)" websites.

How did I open a scam website?

The scam website (claim.aave-io[.]org) offering to participate in an AAVE airdrop is promoted through deceptive emails. A screenshot of the email used to trick recipients into opening the fake site is provided below. Scammers also use fake X (Twitter), Facebook, and other social media accounts and hijacked WordPress pages to promote scams involving crypto drainers.

Additionally, users can encounter scams via sites that use rogue advertising networks (e.g., torrent sites or illegal movie streaming pages), deceptive advertisements (including notifications from shady pages), and similar channels.

How to avoid visiting scam pages?

Be cautious of unsolicited or irrelevant emails, particularly those from unfamiliar senders. Do not open attachments or links within these messages. Avoid interacting with pop-ups, ads, or links on untrustworthy websites, and reject notification requests from questionable pages.

Download software exclusively from official sources or reliable app stores, and ensure your operating system and apps always have the latest updates. Additionally, perform regular security scans using trusted antivirus software. 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 "AAVE Airdrop" scam (GIF):

Deceptive email promoting the scam:

Text in this email:

Subject: Claim Your Exclusive ΑΑVΕ Airdrop

Claim Your AAVE Airdrop Now!

As a valued member of the AAVE community, you are eligible to claim AAVE tokens as a reward for supporting the ecosystem.
Check Eligibility & Claim
Rules to Participate:

New wallets are NOT eligible to prevent system abuse.
Airdrop calculated based on transactions across supported staking chains.
Long-term holders receive additional weight in the distribution.

© 2025 AAVE, All rights reserved.

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Quick menu:

• What is Fake AAVE Airdrop?
• 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 cryptocurrency airdrop?

It is a scam intended to trick users into thinking they will get free cryptocurrency, usually tokens or coins, by connecting their wallets or completing other actions.

What is the purpose of a fake crypto airdrop?

In most cases, scammers aim to steal cryptocurrency and (or) personal information from unsuspecting individuals.

Why do I encounter fake airdrops and other scams?

Scam websites can be promoted through misleading emails and fake social media accounts. Scammers also use hijacked websites, rogue advertising networks (often found on shady platforms like torrent or illegal streaming sites), deceptive pop-ups, and notifications from unreliable websites.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from scam websites?

Combo Cleaner monitors websites and detects malicious ones, including scam websites. It warns users about potential threats and prevents access to dangerous pages.