How to avoid getting scammed by fake "Chainlink" sites

What is the fake "Chainlink" website?

While investigating dubious sites, our researchers discovered this fake "Chainlink" page. It masquerades as the Chainlink platform (chain.link) and operates as a cryptocurrency drainer. It must be emphasized that this scam is in no way associated with Chainlink or any other existing platforms, projects, or entities.

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 "Chainlink" website overview

We found this scam on chnlink[.]xyz, but it could be promoted on other domains as well. The webpage imitates Chainlink (chain.link) yet bears no actual association with this oracle platform. As mentioned in the introduction, the scam functions as a crypto drainer.

To elaborate, victims who "connect" their digital wallets to this page inadvertently expose them to a mechanism that can steal cryptocurrency and other digital assets. Essentially, by "linking" a cryptowallet, users sign a malicious contract that facilitates a mechanism responsible for automated outgoing transactions.

This activity may appear vague, so it might remain unnoticed for a long time. Some drainers can approximate the value of digital assets and determine which to prioritize stealing.

It must be mentioned that due to the nearly untraceable nature of cryptocurrency transactions, they cannot be reversed. Therefore, victims of scams like this fake "Chainlink" website cannot recover the stolen funds.

Cryptocurrency drainer scam examples

"Popcat Airdrop", fake "PancakeSwap" website, "Matchain ($MAT) Airdrop", and "Nano Ethereum (NanoETH) Staking" are merely some of our new articles on crypto drainers.

Aside from using draining mechanisms, cryptocurrency-targeting scams commonly operate by deceiving users into manually transferring funds to scammer-owned wallets or by phishing for wallet log-in credentials.

While online scams are often poorly made and full of errors, they can be competently put together and convincingly disguised as content associated with genuine entities. Crypto scams are known to utilize perfect visual copies of legitimate sites. Therefore, we highly recommend exercising caution when browsing and investing online.

How did I open a scam website?

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

Cryptocurrency drainers are commonly promoted through intrusive pop-up advertisements. They can be fully functional drainers themselves (i.e., capable of executing draining scripts). These adverts have even been encountered on legitimate sites that had been compromised.

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

How to avoid visiting scam websites?

Caution is key to online safety. Therefore, take note of URLs and be vigilant when entering them. Be wary of websites, advertisements, and communications that make incredible promises or warn about severe issues.

Do not use sites offering pirated content or other questionable services (e.g., illegal streaming/downloading, Torrenting, etc.), as these webpages usually employ rogue advertising networks. Do not enable suspect pages to deliver browser notifications; ignore or deny their requests (i.e., press "Block", "Block Notifications", etc.).

Do not open attachments or links found in dubious/irrelevant emails and other messages. Download only from official/verified sources and be cautious when installing (e.g., read terms, study options, use "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opt out of additional apps, extensions, features, 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 "Chainlink" website (GIF):

Screenshot of the official Chainlink website (chain.link):

Instant automatic malware removal:

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Quick menu:

• What is "Chainlink" 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 scams hosted on the Internet. They are designed to trick users into performing specific actions, e.g., connecting cryptowallets to drainers, sending money to scammers, providing vulnerable information, buying products, subscribing to services, downloading/installing programs, etc.

What is the purpose of online scams?

The purpose of online scams is to generate revenue for scammers. They primarily profit by acquiring funds through deception, endorsing content (e.g., websites, software, products, services, etc.), selling/abusing private information, and distributing malware.

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

Cryptocurrency transactions are irreversible because they are practically untraceable. Hence, victims of scams like this fake "Chainlink" page cannot retrieve their funds.

Why do I encounter online scams?

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

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from online scams?

Combo Cleaner is designed to scan visited websites for deceptive and malicious content. Should you happen upon such a webpage – Combo Cleaner will immediately warn you and block further access to the page.