How to avoid getting scammed by fake "Tharwa Rewards Update" sites

What is the fake "Tharwa Rewards Update" website?

While browsing suspicious websites, our researchers discovered this fake "Tharwa Rewards Update" page. Upon inspection, we determined that it operates as a cryptocurrency drainer, i.e., by siphoning funds from compromised digital wallets. Users are lured into exposing their wallets by attempting to vote in a poll. It must be emphasized that this scam is not associated with the actual Tharwa (tharwa.finance).

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 "Tharwa Rewards Update" website overview

We discovered the "Tharwa Rewards Update" scam on rewards-tharwa[.]com, yet it could also be hosted on different domains. This webpage masquerades as Tharwa (tharwa.finance). Tharwa is a DeFi (Decentralized Finance) protocol that aims to create a stablecoin (thUSD) backed by, as collateral, an AI-driven real-world asset hedge fund. The fake page promises rewards from the treasury pool funds to users who vote on a poll regarding an upcoming rewards date.

It must be emphasized that all the information on this webpage is false, and this scam is in no way associated with Tharwa or any other existing projects, platforms, or entities.

Clicking the "Vote now" button prompts the user to connect their digital wallet. Doing so signs a malicious contract that facilitates the cryptocurrency drainer. Basically, a mechanism is activated that begins siphoning funds from the exposed wallet. These transactions are automated and may appear vague, so they might remain unnoticed for a significant amount of time. Some drainers can roughly estimate the value of digital assets and determine which to steal first.

Furthermore, cryptocurrency transactions cannot be reversed because they are nearly untraceable. Therefore, victims of scams like this fake "Tharwa Rewards Update" site cannot retrieve the stolen funds.

Cryptocurrency drainer scam examples

We have written about countless crypto scams; "$HIGHER Token Airdrop", "Camp Network ($CAMP) Airdrop", "Bittensor (WTAO) Airdrop", and "$COPE Airdrop" are just some of our latest articles on drainers.

There are three prevalent types of cryptocurrency-specific scams: drainers, phishing scams targeting wallet log-in credentials, and social engineering intended to trick users into manually transferring assets to scammer-owned wallets.

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

How did I open a scam website?

In general, online scams are promoted through spam (e.g., emails, social media/ forum posts, DMs/PMs, browser notifications, cold calls/ robocalls, SMSes, etc.), webpages employing rogue advertising networks, intrusive ads, mistyped URLs, and adware.

Crypto scams are often endorsed via intrusive pop-up advertisements, some of which are fully functional drainers themselves. These adverts have been encountered on legitimate websites that had been hacked.

Social media spam is another prevalent promotional technique. These posts and direct/private messages can be made using accounts stolen from real entrepreneurs, celebrities, influencers, projects, companies, etc. If the promoted scam aligns with the content ordinarily posted by the account – this creates an incredible impression of legitimacy.

How to avoid visiting scam websites?

Caution is paramount to ensuring online safety. Therefore, be wary of websites, ads, and communications making promises that sound too good to be true. Be mindful of URLs and enter them carefully. Do not use sites offering pirated programs/media or other dubious services (e.g., Torrenting, illegal streaming/downloading, etc.), as these webpages usually utilize rogue advertising networks.

Do not permit suspicious pages to deliver browser notifications; ignore or block their notification requests. Be vigilant with incoming emails and other messages; do not open attachments or links found in suspect/irrelevant mail.

Download from official/verified channels and be attentive when installing (e.g., study terms and options, use "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opt out of supplementary 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 "Tharwa Rewards Update" website (GIF):

Screenshot of the official Tharwa website (tharwa.finance):

Instant automatic malware removal:

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Quick menu:

• What is "Tharwa Rewards Update" 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 deceptive content hosted on the Web. It aims to trick users into performing specific actions. For example, these scams can entice victims into connecting digital wallets to crypto drainers, sending money to scammers, providing vulnerable information, downloading/installing software, purchasing products, subscribing to services, and so on.

What is the purpose of online scams?

Online scams are designed to generate revenue for scammers. Cyber criminals predominantly profit by acquiring funds through deception, promoting content, selling/abusing private data, and spreading malware.

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

No, cryptocurrency transactions cannot be reversed due to their nearly untraceable nature. Therefore, victims of such scams cannot recover the stolen digital assets.

Why do I encounter online scams?

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

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from online scams?

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