How to avoid getting scammed by fake "Usual Rewards" sites

What is the fake "Usual Rewards" website?

Our research team discovered this fake "Usual Rewards" page while inspecting untrustworthy websites. This scam impersonates the Usual protocol site (usual.money) and lures users into exposing their cryptowallets to a cryptocurrency drainer. Victims of this scam experience financial loss.

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 "Usual Rewards" website overview

We discovered this scam on app.usuvlmoney[.]com; other domains are possible. This webpage imitates the official website of the Usual protocol – a decentralized stablecoin issuer. The fake page implies that eligible users can claim rewards. This information is false, and the scam itself is in no way associated with the actual Usual protocol or any other existing projects and entities.

Connecting a digital wallet to the fraudulent webpage signs a malicious contract that facilitates the cryptocurrency drainer. Essentially, victims' funds are transferred to wallets in the scammers' possession through automated transactions.

Some drainers can approximate the value of digital assets and prioritize the theft of those with the highest worth. This activity may appear vague, so it can remain unnoticed for a significant amount of time.

It must be mentioned that cryptocurrency transactions cannot reversed because they are nearly untraceable. Therefore, victims of scams like this fake "Usual Rewards" website cannot recover their funds.

Cryptocurrency drainer scam examples

"Lombard Rewards", "SafeMoon Community", and "Binance Airdrop" are just a couple of our newest articles on drainers. Aside from utilizing draining scripts, cryptocurrency-specific scams can operate by targeting wallet log-in credentials or tricking users into manually transferring assets to scammer-owned wallets. These scams often appear legitimate and may even be convincingly disguised as content associated with genuine entities.

Due to how prevalent scams are on the Web and how well-made they can be – we highly recommend exercising caution when browsing and investing.

How did I open a scam website?

Crypto drainers are commonly endorsed via malvertising, specifically – intrusive pop-up advertisements. Some are fully functional drainers themselves; they lure users into "linking" digital wallets by promising incredible benefits. Ads of this kind may be encountered on genuine sites that have been hacked.

Another prevalent promotional method is social media spam. These posts and direct/private messages can be made using accounts stolen from real projects, companies, organizations, entrepreneurs, celebrities, etc.

Other endorsement techniques are possible. Aside from those previously mentioned, online scams are pushed via websites employing rogue advertising networks, spam (e.g., emails, DMs/PMs, browser notifications, SMSes, cold calls/ robocalls, etc.), typosquatting (mistyped URLs), and adware.

How to avoid visiting scam websites?

Being cautious is paramount to online safety. Therefore, be wary of websites, adverts, and communications making promises that sound too good to be true. Do not use sites offering pirated content or other dubious services (e.g., illegal streaming/downloading, Torrenting, etc.), as these webpages are usually monetized through rogue advertising networks.

Pay attention to URLs and enter them carefully. Do not enable questionable pages to display browser notifications; ignore or block their requests. Be vigilant with incoming emails/messages, and do not open attachments or links found in suspicious mail.

Download only from official/trustworthy sources and be attentive when installing (e.g., read terms, explore options, use "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opt out of all additional apps, extensions, tools, 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 "Usual Rewards" website (GIF):

Screenshot of the official Usual protocol website (usual.money):

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 "Usual Rewards" 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 deceptive content hosted on the Web. These scams are intended to deceive users into performing specific actions, such as connecting wallets to drainers, making monetary transactions, downloading/installing software, disclosing private data, purchasing products, subscribing to services, etc.

What is the purpose of online scams?

Online scams are designed to generate revenue for scammers. They primarily profit by acquiring funds through deception, promoting content, selling/abusing sensitive information, and proliferating malware.

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

Cryptocurrency transactions are irreversible due to their nearly untraceable nature. Therefore, victims of fake sites like "Usual Rewards" cannot recover their funds.

Why do I encounter online scams?

Online scams are predominantly encountered via webpages using rogue advertising networks, spam (e.g., emails, PMs/DMs, social media/ forum posts, browser notifications, calls, SMSes, etc.), intrusive advertisements (malvertising), misspelled URLs (typosquatting), and adware.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from online scams?

Combo Cleaner can scan visited websites and detect rogue, deceptive/scam, and malicious pages. Therefore, should you happen upon such a webpage – you will be immediately warned, and further access to it will be blocked.