How to spot fake giveaways like "Starknet Airdrop"

What is the fake "Starknet Airdrop"?

Upon inspection, we found that this is a fake cryptocurrency giveaway promoted via X (formerly known as Twitter). The scammers behind this scheme have the malicious intent of deceiving individuals and pilfering their cryptocurrency. It is crucial for users to exercise caution and verify the authenticity of such promotions before taking any action.

"Starknet Airdrop" giveaway scam in detail

The content in the X post indicates the presence of an airdrop orchestrated by Starknet, encouraging users to connect their wallets for participation. It underscores the authenticity of the provided link with the statement "THIS IS THE OFFICIAL LINK".

The page promoted via the X post welcomes users to what appears to be Starknet's Airdrop, claiming to be the first community airdrop for $STRK tokens. It prompts visitors to connect their wallets to assess their eligibility for claiming these tokens.

The deceitful website aims to deceive users into approving a malevolent smart contract. This contract contains a drainer code, and upon the user's approval, the drainer gains the ability to execute unauthorized transactions.

In essence, the perpetrators orchestrating this fraudulent giveaway have created a scheme to obtain cryptocurrency funds from unsuspecting victims. As a precautionary measure, users are strongly urged to refrain from following the instructions provided by this and similar scams to mitigate the risk of financial losses.

Threat Summary:

Name	Starknet Airdrop crypto drainer
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Participants will receive free cryptocurrency
Disguise	Legitimate airdrop event hosted by Starknet
Distributed Unwanted Apps	starknet-network[.]website, reward-now[.]org, stark-claim[.]net
Detection Names (starknet-network[.]website)	Avira (Phishing), Combo Cleaner (Phishing), Cyradar (Malicious), Kaspersky (Phishing), Sophos (Phishing), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Symptoms	Too good to be true promises, pressure to act quickly, lack of transparency.
Distribution methods	Posts on X (Twitter), misleading ads, unwanted applications.
Damage	Loss of sensitive private information, monetary loss.
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Conclusion

In conclusion, this scam employs deceptive tactics through a fraudulent website, enticing users to endorse a harmful smart contract under the guise of a cryptocurrency giveaway. The embedded drainer code within the contract allows unauthorized transactions, ultimately leading to the unlawful transfer of funds from victims' wallets to the attacker's address.

One more example of a similar scam is the zkSync scam.

How did I open a scam website?

The described scam is promoted via posts on X (Twitter), and users land on a deceptive page upon clicking the provided link. Deceptive advertisements and notifications from unreliable pages can also be used to promote crypto scams (and other scams). Sometimes, fraudsters employ adware to trick users into visiting scam websites.

In other cases, users end up on scam sites while navigating pages that use rogue advertising networks. These networks are employed mainly by illegal movie streaming pages, torrent sites, and similar platforms.

How to avoid visiting scam pages?

Stick to well-known and reputable websites for your online activities. Avoid clicking on links from unknown sources, especially those received through emails or messages. Before clicking on a link, examine the website URL to ensure it matches the official domain of the service or organization you intend to visit.

Avoid clicking on pop-ups, especially those that claim you have won (or can win) something. Do not allow shady sites to send notifications. Keep your operating system, antivirus and anti-malware software, and web browsers up to date. If your computer is already infected with unwanted apps, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate them.

The appearance of "Starknet Airdrop" pop-up scam (GIF):

Text on this page:

STARKNET
Welcome to Starknet's Airdrop
The first community $STRK Airdrop by Starknet. Connect your wallet to check your eligibility to claim $STRK tokens!

Screenshots of the posts on X (Twitter) promoting this scam:

Sample 1:

Sample 2:

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Quick menu:

• What is Starknet Airdrop crypto drainer?
• 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 crypto scam?

A crypto scam pertains to any deceptive activity or scheme within the cryptocurrency field crafted with the intention of misleading individuals or investors for the purpose of financial gain.

What is the purpose of a crypto giveaway scam?

Scammers often claim to organize giveaways, promotions, or airdrops, enticing victims with promises of free or multiplied cryptocurrency. The ultimate goal is to trick individuals into transferring their funds or revealing private keys, allowing the scammers to steal the victims' cryptocurrency.

How fake giveaways and other scams are promoted?

Typically, scams are promoted via social media, deceptive ads, notifications from shady pages, adware, email, SMS, and similar channels.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from online scams?

Combo Cleaner is designed to conduct comprehensive scans on every website you visit, adeptly recognizing and flagging malicious ones. This encompasses websites engineered for scam deployment, guaranteeing prompt warnings, and preventing access to potentially harmful sites.

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