Do not trust fake "Bittrex Crypto" giveaways
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What kind of scam is "Bittrex Crypto Giveaway"?
Our researchers discovered the "Bittrex Crypto Giveaway" scam while inspecting rogue websites. It is presented as a giveaway from Bittrex – a cryptocurrency exchange and trading platform. The scheme promises to double the amount of cryptocurrency that users transfer to it. However, victims of this scam will not receive any return funds – they will lose all that they send.
"Bittrex Crypto Giveaway" scam overview
The scam is presented as a giveaway valued at 100 million USD and held by Bittrex. It must be stressed that this scheme is not associated with Bittrex or any other real individuals or entities.
Supposedly, this scheme is an effort to encourage mass adoption of cryptocurrency. During this hoax giveaway, 1,000 BTC (Bitcoin), 10,000 ETH (Ethereum), 200,000,000 DOGE (Dogecoin), and an unspecified amount of Tether on the Ethereum network (USDT ERC20) will be given away.
The scam instructs users to transfer 0.1 to 50 BTC, 1 to 500 ETH, 5,000 to 5,000,000 DOGE, or USDT ERC20 (amount unspecified) to the provided digital wallet addresses – to receive twice the amount back. At the time of writing, these amounts are worth approximately 2,700 to 1,3 million USD for Bitcoin, 1,800 to 900 thousand USD for Ethereum, and 39 to 300 thousand for DOGE (note that exchange rates constantly fluctuate).
As previously mentioned, "Bittrex Crypto Giveaway" is a scam; hence, the scammers will pocket all that is sent to this "giveaway", and victims will lose the transferred cryptocurrency.
It must be mentioned that since cryptocurrency transactions are virtually untraceable, victims will be unable to retrieve their funds. Therefore, by trusting a scam like "Bittrex Crypto Giveaway" – users can experience significant financial losses.
| Name | "Bittrex Crypto Giveaway" scam website |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Users will receive double the cryptocurrency that they send to the giveaway. |
| Disguise | Bittrex |
| Cyber Criminal Cryptowallet Addresses | bc1qakx7e46apmqt4323cqtu2kykz4x8v8g7axs3fq (BTC), 0xEaA61562f0e8885A754F726961F8C8473C97cbFf (ETH and USDT ERC20), DGSxHHSoH8w7bcJSppbu4rsiwpf1XwwDu4 (DOGE) |
| Related Domains | bittrex2x[.]com |
| Detection Names (bittrex2x[.]com) | Combo Cleaner (Phishing), Emsisoft (Phishing), Fortinet (Phishing), G-Data (Malware), Kaspersky (Phishing), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal) |
| Serving IP Address (bittrex2x[.]com) | 31.31.198.54 |
| 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. |
Similar scam examples
We have investigated thousands of online scams; "Andrew Tate Crypto Giveaway", "FIFA Crypto Giveaway", and "MicroStrategy Crypto Giveaway" are just a few examples of hoax cryptocurrency giveaways similar to "Bittrex Crypto Giveaway".
The Internet is rife with deceptive and malicious content. Aside from bogus giveaways, other popular scam models include fake: virus/error warnings, updates, surveys, lotteries, product promotions, and so on. Due to how widespread and well-made online scams can be, we strongly recommend exercising caution while browsing.
How did I open a scam website?
Deceptive webpages are often accessed via sites that use rogue advertising networks; the former can be force-opened immediately upon initial access or when hosted content is clicked (e.g., buttons, text input fields, links, ads, etc.). Misspelling a URL can also result in a redirect (or a redirection chain leading) to a scam page.
Additionally, this content is promoted by spam browser notifications and intrusive advertisements. Adware also pushes scams either by displaying adverts that promote them or by force-opening sites that run them.
How to avoid visiting scam websites?
Scam websites are primarily entered via redirects caused by sites using rogue advertising networks, mistyped URLs, spam browser notifications, intrusive ads, or installed adware.
We strongly recommend being vigilant while browsing since fake and malicious online content usually appears legitimate and harmless.
We advise against using websites that offer pirated software/media or other questionable services (e.g., Torrenting, illegal streaming/downloading, etc.) – as these sites are typically monetized through rogue advertising networks.
Furthermore, it is important to pay attention to URLs and enter them with care. To avoid receiving undesirable browser notifications – do not permit dubious webpages to deliver them (i.e., do not click "Allow", "Allow Notifications", etc.). Instead, ignore or deny notification requests from such pages (i.e., select "Block", "Block Notifications", etc.).
Be cautious with online advertisements since, despite their potentially ordinary appearance, intrusive ads tend to redirect to highly questionable websites (e.g., scam-promoting, gambling, pornography, adult dating, etc.).
Another recommendation is to download only from official/verified sources and be attentive while installing software (e.g., reading terms, using "Advanced/Custom" settings, opting out of additional apps/extensions, etc.) – to prevent bundled/harmful content 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 "Bittrex Crypto Giveaway" scam:
BITTREX
Giveaway Info Instruction Participate Transaction Participate →
Official event
BIGGEST CRYPTO GIVEAWAY
OF $100,000,000
During this unique event we will give you the opportunity to get 1,000 BTC or 10,000 ETH or 200,000,000 DOGE. Have a look at the rules and don’t miss your chance! You can only participate once!
Participate
Instructions to participate
To participate you can do the transaction using any wallet or exchange!
Send the desired number of coins to the special address below.
Once we receive your transaction, the doubled amount will be sent back to you immediately.
You can only take part in our giveaway once. Hurry up!
Rules & Information
About the giveaway
We believe that Blockchain will revolutionize the world. To speed up the process of mass adoption of cryptocurrency we decided to run a 1,000 BTC & 50,000 ETH & 200,000,000 DOGE giveaway for all crypto holders!
How to participate?
To participate you just need to send any amount from (0.1 BTC to 50 BTC) or (1 ETH to 500 ETH) or (5,000 DOGE to 5,000,000 DOGE) to the contribution address and we will immediately send back the double amount (0.2 BTC to 100 BTC) or (2 ETH to 1,000 ETH) or (10,000 DOGE to 10,000,000 DOGE) (x2) to the address you sent it from.
Count your prize
In order to check your reward, you can use the built-in calculator on our website
If you send 0.1 BTC
Your profit 200% = You receive 0.2
Participate in the giveaway
Send your BTC to the address for X2 back
bc1qakx7e46apmqt4323cqtu2kykz4x8v8g7axs3fq
Copy address
Waiting for payment
Send your ETH to the address for X2 back
0xEaA61562f0e8885A754F726961F8C8473C97cbFf
Copy address
Waiting for payment
Send your DOGE to the address for X2 back
DGSxHHSoH8w7bcJSppbu4rsiwpf1XwwDu4
Copy address
Waiting for payment
Send your USDT(ERC20) to the address for X2 back
0xEaA61562f0e8885A754F726961F8C8473C97cbFf
Copy address
Waiting for payment
The appearance of "Bittrex Crypto Giveaway" pop-up scam (GIF):
Instant automatic malware removal:
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Quick menu:
- What is "Bittrex 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 trick users into performing specific actions, e.g., making monetary transactions, disclosing private data, downloading/installing software, purchasing products, etc.
What is the purpose of a pop-up scam?
Pop-up scams aim to generate revenue for their designers. Cyber criminals primarily profit by obtaining funds through deception, abusing or selling sensitive information, promoting content, and spreading malware.
I have sent cryptocurrency to the address presented in the "Bittrex Crypto Giveaway" scam, can I get my money back?
Unfortunately, cryptocurrency transactions are practically untraceable – hence, they are virtually irreversible.
Why do I encounter fake pop-ups?
Pop-up scams are promoted on rogue webpages. Most visitors to such sites enter them via redirects caused by pages using rogue advertising networks, spam browser notifications, mistyped URLs, intrusive ads, or installed adware.
Will Combo Cleaner protect me from pop-up scams?
Combo Cleaner is designed to scan every single website you visit, and it is capable of detecting rogue, deceptive/scam, and malicious ones. Therefore, should you enter such a page – you will be warned immediately, and further access to it will be restricted.
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