How to recognize fake International Bitcoin Virtual Machine $IBVM airdrops

What is the fake "$IBVM Airdrop" website?

Our research team discovered this fake "$IBVM" airdrop during a routine investigation. It masquerades as the official website of IBVM (ibvm.io). The scam tricks users into exposing their digital wallets to a cryptocurrency drainer. It must be emphasized that this fraudulent airdrop is not associated with the real IBVM or any other 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 "$IBVM Airdrop" website overview

We found this scam on claim-ibvm[.]xyz, yet it could also be hosted on different domains. It is presented as the official site of IBVM (ibvm.io). IBVM stands for the International Bitcoin Virtual Machine – a blockchain protocol designed to realize smart contract functionality and higher scalability for the Bitcoin cryptocurrency. The airdrop is supposedly distributing $IBVM (IBVM's native token).

It must be stressed that this scam is not associated with the actual International Bitcoin Virtual Machine or other existing projects, platforms, or entities.

Once a digital is connected to the fake site, a malicious contract is signed. It facilitates the cryptocurrency drainer. Essentially, the victim's funds are transferred to scammer-owned wallets through automated transactions. Drainers may be capable of approximating the value of digital assets and determining which to prioritize stealing. This activity may appear vague, so it might remain unnoticed for a significant amount of time.

It must be mentioned that due to the nearly untraceable nature of cryptocurrency transactions, they cannot be reversed. Therefore, the victims of scams like this fraudulent "$IBVM Airdrop" webpage cannot get their assets back.

Cryptocurrency drainer scam examples

"Nano Ethereum (NanoETH) Staking", fake "Troll Coin" website, "$TRENCHES Token Airdrop", and "$SVJ Token Airdrop" are just some of our newest articles on cryptocurrency drainers.

Aside from using draining mechanisms, crypto scams commonly operate by tricking victims into manually transferring assets to scammer-owned wallets or by phishing for wallet log-in credentials.

Online scams are often poorly made and full of various mistakes, but they can be competently crafted and even convincingly disguised as content associated with legitimate entities (e.g., companies, organizations, institutions, etc.). Therefore, we strongly advise exercising caution when browsing and investing online.

How did I open a scam website?

In general, online scams are promoted through malvertising (intrusive advertisements), spam (e.g., social media/ forum posts, DMs/PMs, emails, browser notifications, SMSes, robocalls/ cold calls, etc.), sites using rogue advertising networks (redirects), typosquatting (misspelled URLs), and adware (ads/redirects).

Intrusive pop-up adverts are commonly used in a crypto drainer promotion. Some of the advertisements are fully functional drainers (i.e., capable of executing draining scripts). It is noteworthy that these pop-ups have been encountered on legitimate websites that had been hacked.

Social media spam is also widely utilized in crypto scam endorsement. Promotional posts and direct/private messages can be made using accounts stolen from real entrepreneurs, celebrities, influencers, projects, companies, and so on.

How to avoid visiting scam websites?

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

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

Download only from official/trustworthy channels and be attentive when installing (e.g., read terms, study options, use "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opt out of supplementary apps, tools, extensions, etc.) – to prevent bundled/dangerous 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 "$IBVM Airdrop" website (GIF):

Screenshot of the official IBVM website (ibvm.io):

Instant automatic malware removal:

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Quick menu:

• What is "$IBVM Airdrop" 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" refer to a type of deceptive Web content designed to trick users into performing specific actions. To elaborate, victims can be deceived into connecting cryptowallets to drainers, making monetary transactions, providing private information, buying products, subscribing to services, downloading/installing software, etc.

What is the purpose of online scams?

The purpose of online scams is to generate revenue at their victims' expense. Cyber criminals predominantly profit by obtaining 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 "$IBVM Airdrop" scam, can I get my money back?

No, cryptocurrency transactions cannot be reversed due to their practically untraceable nature. Therefore, victims of such scams cannot get their money back.

Why do I encounter online scams?

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

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from online scams?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can scan visited sites for deceptive and malicious content. It can also block all further access to such webpages.