How to identify scams like the fake "Solaxy (SOLX) Airdrop"

What is the fake "Solaxy (SOLX) Airdrop"?

Our inspection of gifsolaxy[.]net has revealed that it is a replica of the official Solaxy website (solaxy.io), created by scammers for malicious purposes. This fake site is designed to deceive visitors and compromise their funds. It is strongly advisable to avoid accessing the site and to close it immediately if opened.

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 "Solaxy (SOLX) Airdrop" in detail

Solaxy is a Layer 2 platform built on the Solana blockchain and created to improve transaction speed, reduce network congestion, and increase scalability. It enhances the overall performance of Solana without compromising security or efficiency. Users can stake SOLX tokens during the presale to earn rewards and tokens become available after the Token Generation Event (TGE).

The fraudulent website (gifsolaxy[.]net) promotes a fake $SOLX token airdrop (giveaway). It instructs users to connect their wallets to "claim $SOLX". However, if a wallet is connected, the site activates a cryptocurrency drainer. This drainer is a malicious tool designed to steal cryptocurrency.

It can drain wallets by transferring crypto holdings from the victim's wallet to the scammer's. Since blockchain transactions cannot be undone, recovering stolen funds is extremely difficult. As a result, falling for scams like this can lead to serious financial loss that often cannot be reversed.

Similar scams in general

Scams like this are designed to trick users with fake offers and steal their cryptocurrency through malicious tools. They often mimic legitimate platforms to appear trustworthy. Users should always verify websites, avoid connecting wallets while on suspicious platforms, and be cautious of offers that seem too good to be true.

A couple of examples of other scams employing crypto drainers to steal funds are the fake "Claim $SKATE Coin", "Chainbase Airdrop", and "MultiBit Dashboard" pages.

How did I open a scam website?

Fraudsters often use fake or compromised accounts on platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook to promote crypto drainer scams. They also hijack legitimate WordPress websites to spread these scams. Users may also be lured to scam pages through notifications shown by unreliable pages, pop-ups, or ads on sites of this kind.

These scams can also be encountered through emails containing malicious links or attachments, adware installed on devices, or sketchy ad networks. Such networks are commonly found on sites offering torrents, adult material, illegal movie streaming, etc.

How to avoid visiting scam pages?

Be careful with emails or messages that come from unfamiliar sources and contain attachments or links. Download software and files from official pages or app stores. Keep your operating system and applications up to date. Use reputable antivirus tools to run regular system scans.

When encountering questionable websites, avoid interacting with pop-ups, buttons, ads, and suspicious links, and do not agree to get notifications from such pages. If your computer is already infected with unwanted apps, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate them.

The appearance of the "Solaxy (SOLX) Airdrop" scam (GIF):

The original Solaxy website (solaxy.io):

Instant automatic malware removal:

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Quick menu:

• What is Fake Solaxy (SOLX) giveaway?
• 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 a fake crypto giveaway?

A fake crypto giveaway is a type of scam in which fraudsters claim to offer free cryptocurrency and ask for wallet connection (or other actions) to receive it.

What is the purpose of a fake crypto giveaway?

These scams are usually created to trick people into giving access to their crypto wallets.

Why do I encounter scam websites?

Scam websites can be encountered through unsafe links on social media, fake ads, or deceptive emails. Additionally, rogue advertising networks, commonly present on torrent sites and similar platforms, are used to spread scams.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me scams?

Combo Cleaner scans websites to detect harmful or malicious content, including scam sites. When such a site is found, it will warn you and block your access to protect you.