Avoid getting scammed by the fake "ARK Invest Crypto Giveaway"
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What is "ARK Invest Crypto Giveaway"?
While inspecting dubious advertisements, our researchers discovered "ARK Invest Crypto Giveaway". It follows the classical model of cryptocurrency giveaway scams. "ARK Invest Crypto Giveaway" promises double the return on the Bitcoin and/or Ethereum cryptocurrencies that users contribute to it. It must be emphasized that taking part in this scam will result in victims losing all the transferred digital currency.
This scam is presented as a giveaway created by Cathie Wood - an American investor and the founder, CEO, and CIO of Ark Invest. However, this deceptive content is in no way associated with either Cathie Wood or Ark Invest.
"ARK Invest Crypto Giveaway" scam overview
The fake "ARK Invest Crypto Giveaway" copies the design of the legitimate website of Ark Invest quite closely. This scam promises to double the Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) cryptocurrency users invest in it. This "giveaway" claims that there will be an immediate 200% return on the transferred amount.
However, as mentioned in the introduction, none of the real individuals/entities mentioned in this scam are actually involved; all the claims made by "ARK Invest Crypto Giveaway" are fake. Therefore, victims of this scam will not get anything in return and simply lose the cryptocurrency that they transfer to the provided cryptowallets.
Furthermore, due to the fact that the transactions of these digital currencies are virtually untraceable - it makes them irreversible, and users will be unable to retrieve their funds.
| Name | ARK Invest Crypto Giveaway scam website |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Users will receive twice the amount of cryptocurrency that they transfer to the giveaway. |
| Disguise | Giveaway held by Cathie Wood/ Ark Invest. |
| Cyber Criminal Cryptowallet Addresses | 18zxFZQUKr8P6UmjxjTL1HxSDj6KjUcCaj (Bitcoin), 0xeca6688427215B4aB86c45415826bA47c33Eddc0 (Ethereum) |
| Related Domains | elonwood-fund[.]com |
| Detection Names (elonwood-fund[.]com) |
Combo Cleaner (Malware), CRDF (Malicious), Emsisoft (Phishing), ESET (Phishing), Fortinet (Phishing), G-Data (Malware), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal) |
| Serving IP Address (elonwood-fund[.]com) |
172.67.214.72 |
| Distribution methods | Compromised websites, rogue online pop-up ads, potentially unwanted applications. |
| Damage | Loss of sensitive private information, monetary loss, identity theft, possible malware infections. |
| Malware Removal (Windows) | To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. |
Cryptocurrency-targeting scam examples
We have analyzed dozens of scams akin to "ARK Invest Crypto Giveaway"; e.g., "LUNA Giveaway", "Twitter Crypto Giveaway", "Ethereum Giveaway", "PancakeSwap Giveaway", "Tesla Giveaway", and so on.
The Internet is rife with deceptive and malicious content. Various scam models are used to gain and subsequently abuse victims' trust to generate revenue at their expense. Therefore, we strongly recommend exercising caution when browsing.
How did I open a scam website?
Scam sites can be accessed through webpages that use rogue advertising networks, either immediately upon access or when hosted content is clicked (e.g., buttons, links, ads, etc.).
Deceptive websites can also be entered by mistyping a site's address (URL). Intrusive adverts and spam browser notifications promote online scams as well. Furthermore, adware can force-open scam webpages or display adverts that endorse them.
How to avoid visiting scam websites?
We advise against using websites that offer pirated software/media and other questionable services (e.g., Torrenting, illegal streaming/downloading, etc.) since they typically use rogue advertising networks, which promote online scams. Additionally, we recommend exercising caution when entering URLs.
To avoid receiving deceptive browser notifications, do not permit suspicious sites to deliver them (i.e., do not click "Allow", "Allow Notifications", etc.). Instead, ignore or deny notification delivery requests (i.e., click "Block", "Block Notifications", etc.).
We also advise downloading from official/verified channels and being careful when installing (e.g., reading terms, using the "Custom/Advanced" settings to opt-out of supplements, etc.) - to prevent untrustworthy 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.
Text presented in "ARK Invest Crypto Giveaway" scam:
Crypto Giveaway by Cathie Wood
Witness the biggest event in ARK INVEST history.
Double your ETH and BTC.
More about us
Why Innovation
Invest In The Future Today
ARK identifies more innovation evolving today than ever before. We believe it is changing lives and businesses across the globe dramatically, creating opportunities to own the next big thing by investing in the future today.
Take Advantage Of Market Inefficiencies
The full magnitude of innovation and the opportunities it creates often are unrecognized or misunderstood by traditional investors. ARK focuses on innovation seeking to capitalize on four market inefficiencies.
Make The World A Better Place
ARK believes innovation creates simplicity and accessibility, while driving down costs. More importantly, innovation should change the way the world works and lead to a more sustainable future.
Calculate your profit
Use our calculator to calculate your possible profit
Ethereum calculator
Calculate your Ethereum profit
You will send 0.5
You will receive 1
200% Total profit
You can only participate once.
Bitcoin calculator
Calculate your Bitcoin profit
You will send 0.05
You will receive 0.1
200% Total profit
Are you ready to participate?
Scan the QR code or copy the address to participate
ETH QR-Code
0xeca6688427215B4aB86c45415826bA47c33Eddc0
Waiting for payment
Copy address
BTC QR-Code
18zxFZQUKr8P6UmjxjTL1HxSDj6KjUcCaj
Waiting for payment
Copy address
The appearance of "ARK Invest Crypto Giveaway" pop-up scam (GIF):
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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Quick menu:
- What is ARK Invest Crypto Giveaway scam website?
- 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 pop-up scam?
Pop-up scams are deceptive messages intended to lure users into transferring money/cryptocurrency, calling fake helplines, disclosing private information, downloading/installing and/or purchasing apps, or performing other actions.
What is the purpose of a pop-up scam?
Pop-up scams are used to generate revenue. Scammers can profit by obtaining funds through deception, abusing or selling sensitive data, promoting software, distributing malware, etc.
Why do I encounter fake pop-ups?
Pop-up scams are promoted on various deceptive websites. Users typically enter such pages via redirects caused by mistyped URLs, sites using rogue advertising networks, spam browser notifications, intrusive adverts, or installed adware.
Will Combo Cleaner protect me from pop-up scams?
Combo Cleaner is designed to scan visited websites and detect deceptive and malicious ones. Therefore, you will be warned immediately, and further access to such pages will be restricted.
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