How to identify fake "PancakeSwap" websites

What is the fake "PancakeSwap" website?

During a routine investigation, our research team discovered this fake "PancakeSwap" page. It is not associated with the real PancakeSwap exchange (pancakeswap.finance). The purpose of this imitator is to trick users into exposing their cryptowallets to a cryptocurrency drainer – a mechanism that can steal digital assets from them.

IMPORTANT NOTE: We do not review crypto projects, please do your own research when investing money.

Federal Trade Commission (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" website overview

This fake site imitates the official PancakeSwap website so closely that it is nearly perfect. We found this scam on pancakeswap[.]cam (other domains are possible); while it is not exactly typosquatting used to entrap users who misspell PancakeSwap's URL, it was created in a manner to appear legitimate at a glance. PancakeSwap is a decentralized exchange built on several blockchains, and this scam page is in no way associated with it.

Connecting a digital wallet to this site signs a malicious contract that facilitates the cryptocurrency drainer. Essentially, the victim's assets are transferred to scammer-owned wallets through automated transactions.

This activity may appear vague or innocuous, so it might remain unnoticed for a significant amount of time. Drainers might be able to approximate the value of digital assets and determine which to steal first.

It must be mentioned that cryptocurrency transactions cannot be reversed because they are practically untraceable. Therefore, the victims of scams like this fraudulent "PancakeSwap" webpage cannot retrieve the stolen funds.

Cryptocurrency drainer scam examples

"Popcat Airdrop", "Matchain ($MAT) Airdrop", fake "Uniswap" website, and "$IBVM Airdrop" are just a few of our newest articles on drainers.

Crypto scams typically work in one of three ways: using draining mechanisms to siphon assets from exposed wallets, phishing for wallet log-in credentials, or tricking users into manually transferring funds to wallets in the scammers' possession.

Online scams are often poorly put together and riddled with mistakes, but they can be competently made and even perfectly copy the design of legitimate sites. Therefore, we highly recommend vigilance when browsing and investing online.

How did I open a scam website?

Online scams are widely promoted through websites using rogue advertising networks (redirects), spam (e.g., emails, PMs/DMs, social media/ forum posts, browser notifications, SMSes, robocalls/ cold calls, etc.), malvertising (intrusive advertisements), typosquatting (mistyped URLs), and adware (ads or redirects).

Crypto drainers are often endorsed via intrusive pop-up adverts, which may be fully functional drainers themselves. It is noteworthy that these pop-ups have been encountered on legitimate sites that had been hacked.

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

How to avoid visiting scam websites?

Caution is critical to ensuring online safety. Therefore, take note of URLs and type them carefully. Be wary of sites, adverts, and messages that make unbelievable promises or warn about severe threats.

Do not use websites offering pirated software/media or other dubious services (e.g., Torrenting, illegal streaming/downloading, etc.), as these webpages are usually monetized through rogue advertising networks.

Do not permit suspect 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 questionable/irrelevant communications.

Download from official/trustworthy sources and be attentive when installing (e.g., read terms, explore options, use "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opt out of additional 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 "PancakeSwap" 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:

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Quick menu:

• What is "Fake PancakeSwap Website" 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 certain actions. To elaborate, victims can be lured into connecting digital wallets to crypto drainers, disclosing sensitive information, making monetary transactions, downloading/installing software, buying products, subscribing to services, and so forth.

What is the purpose of online scams?

Online scams are designed to general revenue at their victims' expense. Cyber criminals primarily profit by obtaining funds through deception, endorsing content, selling/abusing vulnerable information, and spreading malware.

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

Cryptocurrency transactions are irreversible due to their nearly 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 sites using rogue advertising networks, intrusive ads, spam (e.g., social media posts, DMs/PMs, emails, browser notifications, etc.), misspelled URLs, and adware.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from online scams?

Combo Cleaner can scan visited websites and detect rogue, deceptive/scam, and malicious pages. It can block all further access to such websites as well.