How to avoid getting scammed by fake "$ONDO Rewards" websites

What is the fake "$ONDO Rewards" website?

While investigating untrustworthy sites, our researchers discovered this fake "$ONDO Rewards" scam. It is presented as a page connected to Ondo, offering various rewards to eligible users. Not only is this scam not associated with Ondo, but the promised benefits are all fake. The goal of this webpage is to deceive victims into exposing their digital wallets to a cryptocurrency drainer.

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 "$ONDO Rewards" website overview

We found this scam on rewards-ondofinance[.]app, but it could be hosted on other domains as well. The scam masquerades as a webpage associated with Ondo.

Ondo Finance is a DeFi (Decentralized Finance) platform that deals in asset tokenization, particularly real-world assets like short-term U.S. treasuries. Ondo Foundation is a non-profit organization that supports Ondo protocol's long-term decentralization, manages the ONDO native token, and oversees governance processes.

It must be emphasized that the rewards promised by the deceptive page are nonexistent, and this scam bears no association with either Ondo Finance or Ondo Foundation.

Once a digital wallet is connected to the deceptive page, the action signs a malicious contract that facilitates the cryptocurrency drainer. The triggered mechanism carries out automated transactions from the exposed cryptowallet.

Drainers may be capable of approximating the value of digital assets and determining which to prioritize stealing. This activity may appear vague – thus, it might remain unnoticed for a significant amount of time.

It must be mentioned that cryptocurrency transactions are irreversible because they are practically untraceable. Therefore, victims of scams like this fake "$ONDO Rewards" website cannot retrieve their funds.

Cryptocurrency drainer scam examples

"Uranus Airdrop", "World Liberty Financial Airdrop", fake "Gasspas (GASS)" website, and "CryptoNex ETH Voucher" are merely some of our latest articles on drainers.

Crypto scams tend to operate in one of three ways: using draining mechanisms to siphon assets from exposed wallets, tricking users into manually transferring funds to scammer-owned wallets, or phishing for wallet log-in credentials.

While online scams are often poorly put together, they can be competently made and even perfectly copy the design of legitimate websites. Due to this, we strongly advise vigilance when browsing and investing online.

How did I open a scam website?

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

Intrusive pop-up adverts are commonly used to promote cryptocurrency drainers. These pop-ups can be fully functional drainers themselves; they entice users into "linking" their digital wallets by promising incredible boons. Ads of this kind may even be encountered on legitimate sites that have been compromised.

Social media spam is another widespread promotional technique. These posts and private/direct messages can be made using hacked accounts (i.e., ones originally belonging to real projects, companies, organizations, entrepreneurs, celebrities, influencers, etc.).

How to avoid visiting scam websites?

We highly recommend exercising caution when browsing since the Internet is full of deceptive and dangerous content. Therefore, be wary of websites, advertisements, and messages that make unbelievable promises or warn about severe threats. Take note of URLs and type them carefully.

Do not use sites offering pirated programs/media or other dubious services (e.g., illegal streaming/downloading, Torrenting, etc.), as these webpages typically employ rogue advertising networks.

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

Download from official/trustworthy sources and be attentive when installing (e.g., inspect terms and options, use "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opt out of supplementary apps, extensions, tools, etc.) – to prevent bundled/hazardous 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 "$ONDO Rewards" website (GIF):

Screenshot of the Ondo Foundation's official website (ondo.foundation):

Instant automatic malware removal:

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Quick menu:

• What is "$ONDO 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 Web content that aims to trick users into performing specific actions. For example, victims can be deceived into connecting cryptowallets to drainers, making monetary transactions, disclosing sensitive information, 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 for scammers. They primarily profit by acquiring funds through deception, promoting content, abusing/selling private data, and spreading malware.

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

Cryptocurrency transactions are irreversible due to their nearly untraceable nature. Therefore, victims of such scams cannot recover the stolen assets.

Why do I encounter online scams?

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

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from online scams?

Combo Cleaner can scan every website that you visit for deceptive/malicious content. Should you happen upon such a webpage – Combo Cleaner will warn you immediately and block all further access to the site.