Avoid getting scammed by fake "apyETH Rewards" websites

What is the fake "apyETH Rewards" website?

After investigating this "apyETH Rewards" program, we determined that it is a scam. It is presented as a platform offering APYETH (Annual Percentage Yield of Ethereum).

Users unintentionally expose their digital wallets to a cryptocurrency drainer when they try to participate in this fraudulent rewards program. It must be stressed that this scheme is not associated with any existing platforms or entities.

IMPORTANT NOTE: We do not review crypto projects, please do your own research when investing money.

Federal Trade Comission (FTC) states that since the start of 2021, more than 46,000 people have reported losing over $1 billion in crypto to scams – that's about one out of every four dollars reported lost, more than any other payment method.

Fake "apyETH Rewards" website overview

The "apyETH Rewards" scam, as promoted on aethgiveaways[.]org (note that it could be hosted elsewhere), is disguised as an APYETH platform. APYETH stands for "Annual Percentage Yield of Ethereum"; essentially, it is a potential passive earning opportunity on Ethereum cryptocurrency holdings within various DeFi protocols.

This fake platform promises to open users' wallets to receive rewards. When a victim attempts to claim the benefits, they are requested to "connect" their cryptowallets. This exposes them to a crypto-draining mechanism. Basically, funds are transferred from compromised wallets to ones owned by scammers.

Drainers may be capable of roughly estimating the value of digital assets and prioritizing them. These transactions may appear vague, thus remaining unnoticed for a significant amount of time.

Victims of schemes like "apyETH Rewards" can lose all or most of the funds in exposed wallets. Furthermore, because of the practically untraceable nature of these transactions – they cannot be reversed.

Threat Summary:

Name	"apyETH Rewards" crypto drainer scam
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud, Cryptocurrency Drainer
Disguise	APYETH (Annual Percentage Yield of Ethereum) rewards program platform.
Related Domains	aethgiveaways[.]org
Detection Names	Combo Cleaner (Phishing), CyRadar (Malicious), G-Data (Phishing), Kaspersky (Phishing), Seclookup (Malicious), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address	104.21.19.75
Distribution methods	Compromised websites, social media spam, 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.

Cryptocurrency drainer scam examples

"MEE6 Connect", "Grayscale ($GRAY) Airdrop", and "Renzo ($REZ) Token Allocation" are merely a few examples of crypto drainers. Scams targeting digital assets mainly operate in three ways: draining funds out of compromised cryptowallets, targeting wallet log-in credentials, or tricking users into manually transferring funds to criminal-owned wallets (by promising various boons like a doubled return, etc.).

Online scams can vary greatly in appearance and utilized mechanisms. Many are suspicious-looking, while others are well-made and can even be perfect imitations of legitimate sites. Therefore, be vigilant when browsing and investing.

How did I open a scam website?

Cryptocurrency drainers are promoted via malvertising, specifically – intrusive pop-up adverts. They can be fully functional drainers themselves and entice users into "connecting" digital wallets by promising a broad range of benefits. Note that these pop-ups may be encountered on genuine websites that have been hacked.

Another prevalent technique used in crypto-specific scam promotion is social media spam. The posts and DMs/PMs endorsing this content can be made using stolen accounts (i.e., ones originally belonging to real entrepreneurs, influencers, celebrities, projects, companies, etc.).

However, other promotional methods are not unlikely – including different kinds of spam (e.g., emails, SMSes, browser notifications, forum posts, etc.), sites using rogue advertising networks, typosquatting (misspelled URLs), and adware.

How to avoid visiting scam websites?

We highly recommend exercising caution while browsing, as fraudulent and malicious online content usually appears legitimate and harmless. For example, while spam browser notifications and intrusive ads may look innocuous – they redirect users to questionable websites (e.g., scam-promoting, gambling, pornography, etc.).

Therefore, be selective about which pages are enabled to display browser notifications. Do not allow suspect ones to do so, and instead ignore or deny such requests (i.e., press "Block", "Block Notifications", etc.). Be careful when clicking advertisements.

Additionally, take note of URLs and be attentive when typing them. Do not use sites offering pirated content or other dubious services (e.g., illegal streaming or downloading, Torrenting, etc.), as these webpages typically employ rogue advertising networks. Treat incoming emails and other messages with vigilance; do not open attachments or links found in suspicious mail.

Download only from official/trustworthy channels and treat installations with care (e.g., study terms and options, use "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opt out of supplementary apps, extensions, etc.) – to prevent bundled/hazardous software (like adware) from infiltrating the device.

If your computer is already infected, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate all threats.

The appearance of "apyETH Rewards" scam (GIF):

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▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. 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.

Quick menu:

• What is "apyETH Rewards" crypto drainer 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 an online scam?

Online scams are a type of deceptive content hosted on the Web. Its goal is to trick users into performing certain actions, e.g., linking cryptowallets to cryptocurrency drainers, making monetary transactions, disclosing vulnerable information, downloading/installing software, buying products, subscribing to services, etc.

What is the purpose of online scams?

Online scams aim to generate revenue for their designers (scammers). Profit is primarily made by obtaining funds through deception, promoting content (e.g., websites, software, products, etc.), selling/abusing private data, and proliferating malware.

I have lost digital assets to the "apyETH Rewards" scam, can I get my money back?

No, these transactions cannot be reversed due to their nearly untraceable nature.

Why do I encounter online scams?

The most commonly used endorsement techniques include: websites utilizing rogue advertising networks, spam (e.g., social media/ forum posts, DMs/PMs, emails, SMSes, browser notifications, etc.), malvertising (intrusive advertisements), typosquatting (mistyped URLs), and adware.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from online scams?

Combo Cleaner can scan every single webpage that you visit for deceptive/malicious content. Therefore, should you enter a website hosting such material – you will be warned immediately, and further access to it will be denied.

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