How to recognize crypto scams like Ripple giveaway scam?

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.

Threat Summary:

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, ripplegift[.]org, xrp-2[.]info, 2024-xrp[.]com, eventripple[.]net, xrp-2025[.]com
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. ▼ 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.

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 DISTRIBUTION

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 XRP immediately sent back.

SHOW YOU PAYMENT DATA
LIVE TRANSACTIONS

ra14cUMNvdHfnoc5QBCHVYttcqobDyHoLw
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.
79 999 101/100 000 000

Last chance
to get your XRР!

Payment Address
You can send XRР to the following address: rP17Ng5Y5CH45DBh2CgULK3CMo97saFe3g

Examples of other websites promoting Ripple Giveaway scam:

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Quick menu:

• What is XRP giveaway scam?
• 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 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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