How to identify fake "PancakeSwap Voting" websites

What is the fake "PancakeSwap Voting" website?

While investigating dubious websites, our research team found this fake "PancakeSwap Voting" page. It lures users into exposing their digital wallets to a cryptocurrency drainer with a poll. It must be emphasized that this scam is not associated with the real PancakeSwap decentralized exchange.

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 "PancakeSwap Voting" website overview

We discovered this scam on proposal-pancakeswaps[.]com, yet it could be hosted on other domains as well. It impersonates the official website of the PancakeSwap decentralized exchange (pancakeswap.finance). The fake page states that users can vote in a poll to weigh in on the ecosystem's future.

It must be reiterated that this page is not associated with the actual PancakeSwap exchange or any other existing projects, platforms, or entities.

Connecting a digital wallet to the fraudulent webpage signs a malicious contract that facilitates the cryptocurrency drainer. Essentially, the victim's funds are transferred to scammer-owned wallets through automated transactions. Some drainers can approximate the value of digital assets and determine which to prioritize stealing.

Furthermore, these transactions may appear innocuous and remain unnoticed for a significant amount of time. What is more, cryptocurrency transactions cannot be reversed due to their nearly untraceable nature. Therefore, victims of such scams cannot recover the stolen assets.

Cryptocurrency drainer scam examples

"Brian Airdrop", fake "Aave App" website, fake "BabyDoge" website, and "Littleguy Airdrop" are merely a couple of our latest articles on drainers. Aside from utilizing draining mechanisms, crypto scams often operate by tricking users into manually transferring funds to scammer-owned wallets or by phishing for wallet log-in credentials.

It is quite common for online scams to be poorly put together and full of mistakes, but they can be competently crafted and convincingly disguised as content associated with real entities. Cryptocurrency-targeting scams are notorious for using perfect visual copies of legitimate websites. Therefore, we highly recommend exercising caution when browsing and investing online.

How did I open a scam website?

The most widely used online scam promotional techniques include: malvertising (intrusive adverts), websites utilizing rogue advertising networks (redirects), spam (e.g., emails, browser notifications, social media/ forum posts, DMs/PMs, SMSes, cold calls/ robocalls, etc.), typosquatting (mistyped URLs), and adware (ads/redirects).

Intrusive pop-up advertisements are commonly used to endorse cryptocurrency drainers. Some are fully functional drainers themselves; they lure users into "linking" digital wallets by promising incredible benefits. These adverts have even been encountered on legitimate sites that had been hacked.

Social media spam is another prevalent technique. Promotional posts and direct/private messages can be made using accounts stolen from real projects, companies, organizations, entrepreneurs, celebrities, and so on.

How to avoid visiting scam websites?

Caution is crucial to online safety. Therefore, be wary of websites, ads, and messages making promises that sound too good to be true. Pay attention to URLs and type them carefully. Do not use sites offering pirated content or other questionable services (e.g., Torrenting, illegal streaming/downloading, etc.), as these webpages are usually monetized through rogue advertising networks.

Be selective when permitting pages to deliver browser notifications; ignore or block notification requests from suspicious ones. Do not open attachments or links found in dubious/irrelevant emails and other messages.

Download only from official/verified sources and be attentive when installing (e.g., study terms and options, use "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opt out of supplementary apps, extensions, etc.) – to prevent bundled/dangerous programs 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 "PancakeSwap Voting" website (GIF):

Screenshot of the official PancakeSwap website (pancakeswap.finance):

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 "PancakeSwap Voting" 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?

Online scams are a type of Web content that aims to deceive users into performing specific actions. For example, victims can be enticed into connecting digital wallets to crypto drainers, disclosing vulnerable information, sending money to scammers, buying products, calling fake support lines, downloading/installing software, etc.

What is the purpose of online scams?

Online scams are designed to generate revenue at their victims' expense. Cyber criminals primarily profit by acquiring funds through deception, promoting content (e.g., sites, software, products, services, etc.), selling/abusing sensitive data, and spreading malware.

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

No, cryptocurrency transactions cannot be reversed because they are practically untraceable. Therefore, victims of scams like this fake "PancakeSwap Voting" page cannot recover the stolen funds.

Why do I encounter online scams?

Online scams are predominantly encountered via websites using rogue 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?

Yes, Combo Cleaner is designed to scan visited websites and detect rogue, deceptive/scam, and malicious pages. It can also restrict all further access to such sites.