How to spot scam campaigns like "The Bored Ape Pixel Club"

What kind of scam is "The Bored Ape Pixel Club"?

After carefully analyzing this email, we have determined that it is a fraudulent message created by scammers. The primary objective of these scammers is to deceive recipients into disclosing their login credentials on a phishing website with the intention of stealing cryptocurrency wallets.

More about the "The Bored Ape Pixel Club" scam email

The email opens by welcoming recipients to the Bored Ape Pixel Club, claiming it to be the first OG Derivative of the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) and a well-established NFT project. The message emphasizes the aim of contributing to the world of NFTs while honoring its roots in the Bored Ape Yacht Club.

The email states that the Bored Ape Pixel Club is now offering free public mints of unique NFTs, inviting recipients to claim their own NFTs and join the digital community. To do so, they are prompted to click on the "Claim Now" button provided in the email. The urgency to act quickly is implied, as the offer is presented as available for a limited time.

The ultimate goal of this phishing email is to deceive recipients into providing their login credentials on a fraudulent website which gets opened via the provided button. The scammers behind this email intend to steal cryptocurrency wallets from unsuspecting victims and drain their accounts.

Recipients should exercise caution and avoid interacting with such suspicious emails, especially when asked to provide personal information or login credentials. It is advisable to verify the legitimacy of any offers before taking any action to prevent falling victim to phishing scams and potential cybercrime.

Threat Summary:

Name	The Bored Ape Pixel Club Email Scam
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Recipients can receive mints of NTFs for free
Related Domain	zoranetwork[.]xyz
Detection Names	N/A (VirusTotal)
Disguise	Letter related to NFT project
Symptoms	Unauthorized online purchases, changed online account passwords, identity theft, illegal access of the computer.
Distribution methods	Deceptive emails, rogue online pop-up ads, search engine poisoning techniques, misspelled domains.
Damage	Loss of sensitive private information, monetary loss, identity theft.
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.

Similar scam emails in general

Similar crypto-related scams often share a few common characteristics. They often leverage enticing offers or exclusive opportunities to attract potential victims, such as free tokens, limited-time promotions, or high-profit investments. Also, they employ social engineering techniques, creating a sense of urgency or fear of missing out to prompt immediate action from recipients.

These scams typically involve requests for personal information, login credentials, or access to cryptocurrency wallets, aiming to steal valuable assets or sensitive data from unsuspecting individuals. They often utilize spoofed websites or impersonate legitimate crypto platforms, making it difficult for victims to distinguish them from genuine services.

More examples of phishing emails are "American Express Credit/Refund Adjustment Message Email Scam", "DHL Express Notification Email Scam", and "Asian Continental Lottery Email Scam". It is important to note that cybercriminals often use email as a tool for malware distribution.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Email is a common method for distributing malware, usually through the inclusion of harmful files or links within the messages. These files can take on various formats, such as archives, executables, documents, JavaScript files, and ISO files. Infection occurs when users interact with these files by executing, running, or opening them.

For instance, malware may be concealed within Microsoft Office documents that prompt the execution of malicious macro commands upon opening. In other cases, additional actions or conditions may be necessary to activate the malware contained within these files.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Maintain up-to-date versions of your operating system and software. Use caution when accessing email attachments or links, especially from unfamiliar or suspicious sources. Install a trustworthy antivirus program and ensure it receives regular updates.

Be careful when downloading software. Ensure it is obtained from reputable sources (official websites and legitimate stores). Be vigilant when encountering pop-ups or advertisements on questionable websites, and refrain from interacting with them.

If you have already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

The appearance of a phishing page designed to steal crypto wallets (GIF):

Text presented in the "The Bored Ape Pixel Club" email letter:

Subject: HAPPY MINT DAY!! MINTING OPENS!

Welcome to Bored Ape Pixel Club Free Public Mint

The Bored Ape Pixel Club is the first OG Derivative of Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) and one of the longest running NFT projects. This project aims to contribute to the dynamic and innovative world of NFTs while honoring its roots from the Bored Ape Yacht Club.

We are now offering free public mints of our unique NFTs. Claim yours now and become part of our thriving digital community!
Claim Now

Bored Ape Pixel Club is the 1st OG Derivative of BAYC and is one of the longest running NFT Projects. We provide one of the most diverse sets of collections in the NFT market with a total of 5 currently.

Bored Ape Pixel Club. 2023. All Rights Reserved

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Quick menu:

• What is The Bored Ape Pixel Club phishing scam?
• Types of malicious emails.
• How to spot a malicious email?
• What to do if you fell for an email scam?

Types of malicious emails:

Phishing Emails

Most commonly, cybercriminals use deceptive emails to trick Internet users into giving away their sensitive private information, for example, login information for various online services, email accounts, or online banking information.

Such attacks are called phishing. In a phishing attack, cybercriminals usually send an email message with some popular service logo (for example, Microsoft, DHL, Amazon, Netflix), create urgency (wrong shipping address, expired password, etc.), and place a link which they hope their potential victims will click on.

After clicking the link presented in such email message, victims are redirected to a fake website that looks identical or extremely similar to the original one. Victims are then asked to enter their password, credit card details, or some other information that gets stolen by cybercriminals.

Emails with Malicious Attachments

Another popular attack vector is email spam with malicious attachments that infect users' computers with malware. Malicious attachments usually carry trojans that are capable of stealing passwords, banking information, and other sensitive information.

In such attacks, cybercriminals' main goal is to trick their potential victims into opening an infected email attachment. To achieve this goal, email messages usually talk about recently received invoices, faxes, or voice messages.

If a potential victim falls for the lure and opens the attachment, their computers get infected, and cybercriminals can collect a lot of sensitive information.

While it's a more complicated method to steal personal information (spam filters and antivirus programs usually detect such attempts), if successful, cybercriminals can get a much wider array of data and can collect information for a long period of time.

Sextortion Emails

This is a type of phishing. In this case, users receive an email claiming that a cybercriminal could access the webcam of the potential victim and has a video recording of one's masturbation.

To get rid of the video, victims are asked to pay a ransom (usually using Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency). Nevertheless, all of these claims are false - users who receive such emails should ignore and delete them.

How to spot a malicious email?

While cyber criminals try to make their lure emails look trustworthy, here are some things that you should look for when trying to spot a phishing email:

• Check the sender's ("from") email address: Hover your mouse over the "from" address and check if it's legitimate. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft, be sure to check if the email address is @microsoft.com and not something suspicious like @m1crosoft.com, @microsfot.com, @account-security-noreply.com, etc.
• Check for generic greetings: If the greeting in the email is "Dear user", "Dear @youremail.com", "Dear valued customer", this should raise suspiciousness. Most commonly, companies call you by your name. Lack of this information could signal a phishing attempt.
• Check the links in the email: Hover your mouse over the link presented in the email, if the link that appears seems suspicious, don't click it. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft and the link in the email shows that it will go to firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0... you shouldn't trust it. It's best not to click any links in the emails but to visit the company website that sent you the email in the first place.
• Don't blindly trust email attachments: Most commonly, legitimate companies will ask you to log in to their website and to view any documents there; if you received an email with an attachment, it's a good idea to scan it with an antivirus application. Infected email attachments are a common attack vector used by cybercriminals.

To minimise the risk of opening phishing and malicious emails we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows. 

Example of a spam email:

What to do if you fell for an email scam?

• If you clicked on a link in a phishing email and entered your password - be sure to change your password as soon as possible. Usually, cybercriminals collect stolen credentials and then sell them to other groups that use them for malicious purposes. If you change your password in a timely manner, there's a chance that criminals won't have enough time to do any damage.
• If you entered your credit card information - contact your bank as soon as possible and explain the situation. There's a good chance that you will need to cancel your compromised credit card and get a new one.
• If you see any signs of identity theft - you should immediately contact the Federal Trade Commission. This institution will collect information about your situation and create a personal recovery plan.
• If you opened a malicious attachment - your computer is probably infected, you should scan it with a reputable antivirus application. For this purpose, we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.
• Help other Internet users - report phishing emails to Anti-Phishing Working Group, FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, National Fraud Information Center and U.S. Department of Justice.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why did I receive this email?

Criminals send identical messages to numerous recipients, aiming to deceive someone among the recipients. These spam emails lack personalization and are mass-sent with the intention of tricking unsuspecting individuals.

I have provided my personal information when tricked by this email, what should I do?

If possible, immediately change the password for your compromised cryptocurrency wallet account. Reach out to the customer support of your cryptocurrency wallet provider or exchange. Inform them about the situation and provide them with all the relevant details.

I have downloaded and opened a malicious file attached to an email, is my computer infected?

If you have downloaded and opened a malicious file attached to an email, there is a possibility that your computer may be infected. However, it depends on various factors, such as the nature of the file, the security measures in place on your computer, and whether your antivirus software detected and blocked any threats.

I have sent cryptocurrency to scammers, can I get my money back?

Unfortunately, the chances of recovering cryptocurrency sent to scammers are typically very low. Cryptocurrency transactions are designed to be irreversible.

I have read the email but did not open the attachment, is my computer infected?

Malware typically requires some form of interaction or execution to infect a system. Simply viewing the contents of an email, including the text or any images, is generally not enough to trigger an infection.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?

Combo Cleaner can detect and remove a wide range of known malware infections. It is important to note that advanced malware often hides deeply within the system. In order to ensure comprehensive protection, it is recommended to perform a full system scan using Combo Cleaner. This will thoroughly examine all areas of your computer and increase the likelihood of detecting and eliminating hidden malware.

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