How to avoid getting scammed by fake Hinkal websites

What is the fake "Hinkal" website?

Our researchers discovered a fake "Hinkal" website during a routine investigative session. The imitator page functions as a cryptocurrency drainer – by siphoning digital assets from victims' cryptowallets. It must be emphasized that this scam site is not associated with the real Hinkal website (hinkal.pro).

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 "Hinkal" website overview

We found this scam on app-hinkal[.]cyou, yet it could also be hosted on other domains. It masquerades as Hinkal (hinkal.pro) – a private DeFi (Decentralized Finance) hub that allows users to assume full control over their on-chain assets. It has to be stressed that this imitator page is in no way associated with the actual Hinkal protocol or any other existing projects, platforms, and entities.

The cryptocurrency drainer is triggered once a digital wallet is "connected" to the fake webpage. This action signs a malicious contract that facilitates the draining mechanism. Thus, a process begins wherein victims' funds are drained from their digital wallets and transferred to those in the scammers' possession.

These transactions are automated and may appear vague, so they can remain unnoticed for a significant amount of time. Drainers may have the ability to roughly estimate the worth of digital assets and prioritize the theft of those with the highest value.

Cryptocurrency transactions are irreversible because of their nearly untraceable nature. Therefore, victims of scams like this fake "Hinkal" site cannot recover their funds.

Cryptocurrency drainer scam examples

"Flare Airdrop", "fake "Chainflip" website", and "Symbiotic Participation Award" are just a couple of our newest articles on drainers. While online scams are often poorly made and riddled with mistakes, ones that target cryptocurrency have a tendency to appear competent. We have found many instances of these scams perfectly copying the design of legitimate sites/platforms.

There are three primary ways in which crypto scams operate – by employing draining mechanisms to steal assets from exposed wallets, phishing for wallet log-in credentials, or tricking users into manually transferring funds to scammer-owned wallets.

How did I open a scam website?

One prevalent promotional technique for drainers is malvertising, specifically – intrusive pop-up adverts. Some of these pop-ups are fully functional drainers themselves (i.e., capable of executing draining scripts). It is noteworthy that such advertisements have been encountered on genuine websites that had been hacked.

Another common method is social media spam. The posts and direct/private messages endorsing cryptocurrency-centered scams can be made using accounts stolen from real projects, companies, entrepreneurs, celebrities, influencers, etc.

However, other techniques are not unlikely. Aside from the previously mentioned ones, online scams are promoted through different types of spam (e.g., emails, browser notifications, forum posts, SMSes, phone calls, etc.), sites that utilize rogue advertising networks, misspelled URLs (typosquatting), and adware.

How to avoid visiting scam websites?

Ensuring your online safety necessitates exercising caution. Therefore, be wary of websites, ads, and messages that make unbelievable promises or warn of severe threats. Take note of URLs and type them attentively.

Do not use sites offering pirated content or other questionable services (e.g., Torrenting, illegal streaming/downloading, etc.), as these webpages usually employ rogue advertising networks. Be vigilant with incoming emails and other messages; do not open attachments or links found in suspect/irrelevant communications.

Do not permit dubious pages to deliver browser notifications; ignore or block their notification requests. Download only from official/verified sources and be careful when installing (e.g., read terms, study options, use "Custom/Advanced settings, and opt out of additional apps, extensions, etc.) – to prevent bundled/dangerous software 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.

Appearance of the fake "Hinkal" website (GIF):

Screenshot of the official Hinkal website (hinkal.pro):

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:

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Quick menu:

• What is "Fake Hinkal Website" 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 Web that aims to trick users into performing certain actions. These scams may deceive users into connecting cryptowallets to drainers, making monetary transactions, disclosing vulnerable information, buying products, subscribing to services, downloading/installing software, and so on.

What is the purpose of online scams?

The purpose of online scams is financial gain. Scammers may profit by acquiring funds through deception, endorsing content (e.g., sites, programs, products, services, etc.), selling/abusing private data, distributing malware, or through other means.

I have lost digital assets to a fake Hinkal website, can I get my money back?

No, these transactions cannot be reversed because they are practically untraceable. Therefore, victims of scams like this fake "Hinkal" webpage cannot get their money back.

Why do I encounter online scams?

Online scams are most commonly endorsed via intrusive advertisements (malvertising), websites using rogue advertising networks, spam (e.g., social media posts, DMs/PMs, emails, browser notifications, SMSes, etc.), mistyped URLs (typosquatting), and adware.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from online scams?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can scan every website that you visit. It can detect rogue, deceptive/scam, and malicious pages. Hence, should you happen upon such a site – Combo Cleaner will immediately warn you and deny further access to the webpage.