How to avoid getting scammed by fake $TURBO airdrops

What is the fake "$TURBO Airdrop"?

While investigating untrustworthy sites, our researchers discovered this fake "$TURBO" webpage (turbotoken[.]io; possibly others). Users who try to participate in this bogus airdrop expose their digital wallets to a cryptocurrency drainer. It must be emphasized that this scam is not associated with the real Turbo project.

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 "$TURBO Airdrop" overview

We discovered this scam on turbotoken[.]io, but it could be hosted on other domains as well. This page is an almost identical visual copy of Turbo's official website (turbotoken.io). Turbo is a memecoin generated using AI (Artificial Intelligence); it is a fully decentralized community-driven project.

It must be stressed that this free airdrop is fake, and this scam is in no way associated with Turbo or any other existing projects and entities.

Once a digital wallet is connected to the imitator site, a malicious contract is signed which facilitates the cryptocurrency drainer. Thus, a process begins in which victims' funds are transferred to scammer-owned wallets through automated transactions. Some drainers can approximate the value of digital assets and target those with the highest worth first. This activity may appear vague and, as such, can remain unnoticed for a long time.

Cryptocurrency transactions are irreversible because of their nearly untraceable nature. Therefore, victims of scams like this fake "$TURBO Airdrop" cannot recover the stolen funds.

Cryptocurrency drainer scam examples

"Onyx Goliath Staking", "SingularityNET (AGIX) Airdrop", "GROK Airdrop", "Claim Fomo", "Claim $ZORA", and "Chailink Treasury Reward" are merely some of our latest articles on drainers.

There are three primary ways in which cryptocurrency-targeting scams operate – using draining mechanisms to siphon funds from exposed wallets, phishing for wallet log-in credentials, or deceiving users into manually transferring assets to scammer-owned wallets.

While online scams are often poorly made and full of mistakes, they can be competently crafted and convincingly disguised as content associated with legitimate identities. The latter is especially true of crypto-centered scams, as they are commonly promoted on pages that perfectly copy the design of genuine websites. Therefore, we highly recommend exercising caution when browsing and investing.

How did I open a scam website?

Cryptocurrency drainers are often promoted through intrusive pop-up advertisements (malvertising). Some of these pop-ups are fully functional drainers themselves; they lure users into "linking" digital wallets by promising unbelievable boons. Ads of this kind have even been encountered on legitimate sites that had been hacked.

Crypto-specific scams are also endorsed via social media spam. These posts and direct/private messages can be made using accounts stolen from real projects, companies, organizations, entrepreneurs, celebrities, influencers, and so on.

Other endorsement techniques are not unlikely. Aside from the previously mentioned methods, online scams are pushed through websites that use rogue advertising networks, spam (e.g., emails, forum posts, SMSes, robocalls/ cold calls, browser notifications, etc.), misspelled URLs (typosquatting), and adware.

How to avoid visiting scam websites?

Vigilance is critical to online safety. Therefore, be wary of websites, adverts, and messages making promises that sound too good to be true. Pay attention to URLs and type them carefully. Do not use sites offering pirated content or other questionable services (e.g., Torrenting, illegal streaming/downloading, etc.), as these webpages are usually monetized via rogue advertising networks.

Exercise caution with incoming emails and other messages; do not open attachments or links found in suspicious communications. Do not permit dubious pages to deliver browser notifications; instead, ignore or block their requests.

Download only from official/trustworthy channels and be attentive when installing (e.g., study terms and options, use "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opt out of supplementary apps, extensions, etc.) – to prevent bundled/harmful 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.

Appearance of the fake "$TURBO Airdrop" site (GIF):

Screenshot of the official Turbo website (turbotoken.io):

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:

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.

Quick menu:

• What is "$TURBO 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 an online scam?

An online scam is a type of content hosted on the Internet. It aims to trick users into performing certain actions, e.g., connecting digital wallets to crypto drainers, providing sensitive information, sending money to scammers, downloading/installing programs, purchasing products, subscribing to services, and so forth.

What is the purpose of online scams?

Online scams are designed to generate revenue at victims' expense. Scammers primarily profit by acquiring funds through deception, promoting content, selling/abusing private information, and distributing malware.

I have lost digital assets to the "$TURBO Airdrop" scam, can I get my money back?

No, cryptocurrency transactions cannot be reversed because of their practically untraceable nature. Hence, victims of scams like this fake "$TURBO Airdrop" page cannot get their money back.

Why do I encounter online scams?

Online scams can be encountered through spam (e.g., social media posts, DMs/PMs, browser notifications, emails, etc.), sites that utilize rogue advertising networks, intrusive ads (malvertising), mistyped URLs (typosquatting), and adware.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from online scams?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can scan visited webpages for deceptive/malicious content. Therefore, should you happen upon such a site – you will be immediately warned, and further access to it will be denied.