How to identify fake "Ethereum (ETH) Rewards" websites

What is the fake "Ethereum (ETH) Rewards" website?

While investigating dubious sites, our research team discovered this fake "Ethereum (ETH) Rewards" webpage (ethrewards[.]pro; other domains are possible). This deceptive page supposedly allows users to get any unclaimed Ethereum rewards that they may have. The scam aims to deceive victims into exposing their digital wallets to a cryptocurrency drainer. It must be emphasized that this scam is not associated with existing projects, 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 "Ethereum (ETH) Rewards" website overview

We found this scam on ethrewards[.]pro, but it must be mentioned that it might be encountered on other domains as well. The fraudulent webpage states that users may have unclaimed Ethereum rewards based on their previous activity on the blockchain.

It also lists details like users currently checking whether they have rewards, the dollar amount already distributed, the number of eligible wallets, and the percentage of unclaimed rewards. The potential claimable rewards range from 0.05 to 2.5 ETH (Ethereum cryptocurrency).

It must be reiterated that this service is fake, and this scam is not associated with the Ethereum blockchain or any other existing projects, platforms, and entities.

After a bogus check for available rewards, the site asks the user to connect their cryptowallet. Doing so signs a malicious contract that facilitates the cryptocurrency drainer. Basically, a mechanism is initiated that begins siphoning funds from the victim's wallet.

These transactions are automated and may appear innocuous, so they can remain unnoticed for a long time. Crypto drainers may have the ability to approximate the value of digital assets and determine which to steal first.

What is more, due to the practically untraceable nature of cryptocurrency transactions – they cannot be reversed. Therefore, victims of scams like this fake "Ethereum (ETH) Rewards" webpage cannot recover their funds.

Cryptocurrency drainer scam examples

"Claim Sign", "Origin Ether (oETH) Airdrop", and "Mind Of Pepe ($MIND) Airdrop" are merely a couple of our newest articles on drainers. Aside from employing draining scripts, crypto scams commonly operate by phishing for wallet log-in credentials or tricking users into manually transferring assets to scammer-owned wallets.

Scams are incredibly prevalent on the Web, and they may be competently put together and even convincingly disguised as content associated with legitimate entities. Therefore, we highly recommend exercising caution when browsing and investing.

How did I open a scam website?

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

Intrusive pop-up advertisements are prevalent in cryptocurrency drainer promotion. Some of these adverts are fully functional drainers themselves (i.e., capable of executing draining scripts). It is noteworthy that these pop-ups have been encountered on legitimate websites that had been compromised.

Social media spam is also common. The posts and direct/private messages endorsing crypto scams can be made using hacked accounts (i.e., ones originally belonging to real projects, companies, entrepreneurs, celebrities, influencers, etc.).

How to avoid visiting scam websites?

Caution is essential to online safety. Therefore, be wary of websites, ads, and communications making promises that sound too good to be true. Take note of URLs and type them attentively. Do not use sites that offer pirated programs/media or other dubious services (e.g., Torrenting, illegal streaming/downloading, etc.), as these webpages tend to employ rogue advertising networks.

Do not enable suspect pages to display browser notifications; ignore or deny their requests (i.e., select "Block", "Block Notifications", etc.). Do not open attachments or links found in questionable/irrelevant emails and messages.

Download only from official/verified sources and be vigilant when installing (e.g., read terms, study options, use "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opt out of additional apps, extensions, etc.) – to prevent bundled/hazardous software (like adware) 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 "Ethereum (ETH) Rewards" website (GIF):

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Quick menu:

• What is "Ethereum (ETH) 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?

These scams are a type of online content that aims to trick users into performing certain actions. For example, the goal may be to lure victims into connecting cryptowallets to drainers, disclosing vulnerable information, sending money to scammers, downloading/installing software, buying products, etc.

What is the purpose of online scams?

The purpose of online scams is to generate revenue at victims' expense. Scammers primarily profit by obtaining funds through deception, promoting content (e.g., sites, software, products, services, etc.), selling/abusing private data, and proliferating malware.

I have lost digital assets to the "Ethereum (ETH) Rewards" scam, can I get my money back?

No, cryptocurrency transactions cannot be reversed because they are practically untraceable.

Why do I encounter online scams?

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

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from online scams?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can scan visited websites for deceptive/malicious content and block all further access to such pages.