How to recognize crypto scams like Ripple giveaway scam?
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What is Ripple Giveaway scam?
Crypto giveaway scams are fraudulent attempts to trick unsuspecting people into believing that if they send money (in this case, XRP cryptocurrency), they will receive more of it in return. Usually, these crypto scams impersonate companies and individuals.
Ripple Giveaway scam in detail
Scammers behind this crypto giveaway scam claim that Brad Garlinghouse (the CEO of Ripple Labs) believes that the XRP will be worth at least $10 by the end of 2021. They attempt to trick people into participating in a 100,000,000 XRP giveaway where they can send from 5,000 XRP to 1,000,000+ XRP and receive two times more in return.
Neither Brad Garlinghouse nor Ripple has anything to do with this giveaway scam. People who transfer money to scammers never get anything in return. These scams have to be ignored and reported.
Name | XRP giveaway scam |
Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
Fake Claim | People can double their XRP funds |
Disguise | Legitimate XRP giveaway page |
Related Domain | xrpdrop21[.]com, xrp21[.]gift |
Detection Names (xrpdrop21[.]com) | AlienVault (Malicious), Emsisoft (Phishing), Google Safebrowsing (Phishing), Netcraft (Malicious), Spamhaus (Spam), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal) |
Distribution methods | Compromised websites, 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. |
Crypto giveaway scams in general
Examples of similar crypto scams are "Polkadot Giveaway Scam", "SAFEMOON Giveaway Scam", and "Binance Giveaway Scam". Most of them mention people related to cryptocurrency (like cryptocurrency leaders or leaders of companies with ties to crypto). They are promoted via potentially unwanted applications (PUAs), shady ads, web pages.
How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?
Most users download or install PUAs alongside other programs, via shady ads designed to run certain scripts or fake installers. Downloaders and installers for programs bundled with PUAs have "Custom", "Advanced", or other settings. If users do not change them, they agree to download or install both wanted and unwanted programs.
Fake installers are promoted through websites claiming that visitors need to update, fix software, install some security solution to protect computers, and so on.
How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?
It is strongly recommended to avoid using third-party downloaders, installers, Peer-to-Peer networks, unofficial websites, or other sources, tools to download or install apps, files. They should be downloaded from official pages.
It is also advisable not to download or install programs without checking "Advanced", "Custom" or other settings that might be available in their downloaders or installers, and not to click advertisements that shady pages have on them. If your computer is already infected with PUAs, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate them.
The appearance of Ripple Giveaway scam (GIF):
Text in this scam website:
Giveaway Rules Bonus Terms Transactions To Participate
Official Ripple event 100.000.000 XRP
Brad Garlinghouse and Ripple believes that XRP will hit $10 by the end of 2021. To speed up the process of cryptocurrency mass adoption, we've decided to run a 100,000,000 XRP giveaway.To Participate
More info
ABOUT GIVEAWAY
During this unique event we will give you a chance to win 100,000,000 XRP, have a look at the rules and don't miss on your chance! You can only participate once!FUNDAMENTAL RULES
To participate you just need to send from 5 000 XRP to 1 000 000 XRP to the contribution address and we will immediately send you back 10 000 XRP to 2 000 000 XRP (x2) to the address you sent it from.SPECIAL WELCOME BONUS
If you send 5,000+ XRP, you will be get 10,000+ XRP back
If you send 10,000+ XRP, you will be get 20,000+ XRP back
If you send 50,000+ XRP, you will be get 100,000+ XRP back
If you send 150,000+ XRP, you will be get 300,000+ XRP back
If you send 500,000+ XRP, you will be get 1,000,000+ XRP back
If you send 1,000,000+ XRP, you will be get 2,000,000+ XRP back
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PARTICIPATING IN THE DISTRIBUTIONTo make a transaction, you can use any wallet or exchange to participate!
Once we receive your transaction, the outgoing transaction is processed to your address.
Once we receive your transaction, we will immediately send the requested amount back to you.
Every address that is sent too late, gets their XRP immediately sent back.
SHOW YOU PAYMENT DATA
LIVE TRANSACTIONSra14cUMNvdHfnoc5QBCHVYttcqobDyHoLw
Giveaway Rules Bonus Terms Transactions To Participate
Another example of Ripple giveaway-themed scam website:
Text presented within:
Ripple
Join the giveaway
Brаd Gаrlinghouse believes that blockchain and riррle will make
the world more fair. To speed up the process of cryptocurrency
mass adoption, We decided to run 100 000 000 XRР giveaway.To participate you just need to send from 5000 XRР to 500000 XRР
to the contribution address and we will immediately send
you back 10000 XRР to 1000000 XRР (x2 back) to the address you sent it from.SPECIAL OFFER: If you send 100 000 XRP + you will get 200 000 XRP back + 30% bonus
To make a transaction, you can use any wallet or exchange to participate!
Once we receive your transaction, the outgoing transaction is processed to your address.
Once we receive your transaction, we will immediately send the requested amount back to you.
Every address that is sent too late, gets their XRР immediately sent back.
79 999 101/100 000 000Last chance
to get your XRР!Payment Address
You can send XRР to the following address: rP17Ng5Y5CH45DBh2CgULK3CMo97saFe3g
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:
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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 Ripple Giveaway scam?
- STEP 1. Uninstall deceptive applications using Control Panel.
- STEP 2. Remove rogue extensions from Google Chrome.
- STEP 3. Remove potentially unwanted plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox.
- STEP 4. Remove rogue extensions from Safari.
- STEP 5. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.
Removal of potentially unwanted applications:
Windows 11 users:
Right-click on the Start icon, select Apps and Features. In the opened window search for the application you want to uninstall, after locating it, click on the three vertical dots and select Uninstall.
Windows 10 users:
Right-click in the lower left corner of the screen, in the Quick Access Menu select Control Panel. In the opened window choose Programs and Features.
Windows 7 users:
Click Start (Windows Logo at the bottom left corner of your desktop), choose Control Panel. Locate Programs and click Uninstall a program.
macOS (OSX) users:
Click Finder, in the opened screen select Applications. Drag the app from the Applications folder to the Trash (located in your Dock), then right click the Trash icon and select Empty Trash.
In the uninstall programs window, look for any suspicious/recently-installed applications, select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".
After uninstalling the potentially unwanted application, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components or possible malware infections. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.
Remove rogue extensions from Internet browsers:
Video showing how to remove potentially unwanted browser add-ons:
Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:
Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "More tools" and click "Extensions". Locate all recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons and remove them.
Optional method:
If you continue to have problems with removal of the xrp giveaway scam, reset your Google Chrome browser settings. Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome) and select Settings. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen. Click the Advanced… link.
After scrolling to the bottom of the screen, click the Reset (Restore settings to their original defaults) button.
In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Google Chrome settings to default by clicking the Reset button.
Remove malicious plugins from Mozilla Firefox:
Click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window), select "Add-ons". Click on "Extensions", in the opened window remove all recently-installed suspicious browser plug-ins.
Optional method:
Computer users who have problems with xrp giveaway scam removal can reset their Mozilla Firefox settings.
Open Mozilla Firefox, at the top right corner of the main window, click the Firefox menu, in the opened menu, click Help.
Select Troubleshooting Information.
In the opened window, click the Refresh Firefox button.
In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Mozilla Firefox settings to default by clicking the Refresh Firefox button.
Remove malicious extensions from Safari:
Make sure your Safari browser is active, click Safari menu, and select Preferences....
In the opened window click Extensions, locate any recently installed suspicious extension, select it and click Uninstall.
Optional method:
Make sure your Safari browser is active and click on Safari menu. From the drop down menu select Clear History and Website Data...
In the opened window select all history and click the Clear History button.
Remove malicious extensions from Microsoft Edge:
Click the Edge menu icon (at the upper-right corner of Microsoft Edge), select "Extensions". Locate all recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons and click "Remove" below their names.
Optional method:
If you continue to have problems with removal of the xrp giveaway scam, reset your Microsoft Edge browser settings. Click the Edge menu icon (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge) and select Settings.
In the opened settings menu select Reset settings.
Select Restore settings to their default values. In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Microsoft Edge settings to default by clicking the Reset button.
- If this did not help, follow these alternative instructions explaining how to reset the Microsoft Edge browser.
Summary:
Commonly, adware or potentially unwanted applications infiltrate Internet browsers through free software downloads. Note that the safest source for downloading free software is via developers' websites only. To avoid installation of adware, be very attentive when downloading and installing free software. When installing previously-downloaded free programs, choose the custom or advanced installation options – this step will reveal any potentially unwanted applications listed for installation together with your chosen free program.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is a cryptocurrency giveaway scam?
A crypto giveaway scam is a type of scam offering to send a certain amount of cryptocurrency and receive more in return. Usually, such scams offer to double funds and claim that the amount of cryptocurrency that is being given away is limited.
What is the purpose of a crypto giveaway scam?
The purpose of such scams is to trick unsuspecting people into transferring cryptocurrency to scammers.
I have sent cryptocurrency to scammers, can I get my money back?
Such transactions are virtually untraceable, meaning that you will not be able to retrieve lost funds.
Why do I encounter such scams?
Usually, these scams are delivered by malicious websites that users do not visit on purpose. Those pages get opened through present malicious applications or pages using questionable advertising networks.
Will Combo Cleaner protect me from giveaway and similar scams?
Combo Cleaner is designed to scan every single website you visit, and it is capable of detecting malicious ones. This app will inform you that a page is not trustworthy and restrict access to it.
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