How to avoid getting scammed by fake "$SALARY Airdrop" websites

What is the fake "$SALARY Airdrop" website?

Our research team found this fake "$SALARY" airdrop webpage while inspecting dubious sites. Upon further examination, we determined that this fraudulent giveaway lures users into exposing their cryptowallets to a cryptocurrency drainer. It must be stressed that this scam is not associated with any existing projects, platforms, 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 "$SALARY Airdrop" website overview

We discovered this scam on salarycoin[.]cfd, but it could be hosted on other domains. The deceptive webpage states that early token adopters can take part in monthly airdrops. It must be reiterated that this airdrop is fake, and regardless of any similarities – this scam is in no way associated with existing projects, platforms, or entities.

Connecting a digital wallet to this webpage signs a malicious contract that facilitates the cryptocurrency drainer. Basically, a mechanism is initiated that begins stealing funds from the exposed cryptowallet.

These outgoing transactions are automated and may appear vague, so they can remain unnoticed for a significant amount of time. Drainers may be capable of approximating the value of digital assets and determining which to prioritize stealing based on their worth.

It must be mentioned that due to the practically untraceable nature of cryptocurrency transactions, they cannot be reversed. Therefore, victims of such scams cannot recover the stolen funds.

Cryptocurrency drainer scam examples

"Mitosis Airdrop", "Claim $STREAMER", and "OpenxAI Staking" are just a couple of our latest articles on drainers. Aside from employing draining mechanisms, crypto scams commonly operate by targeting wallet log-in credentials or tricking users into manually transferring assets to scammer-owned wallets.

It is not uncommon for online scams to be poorly put together and riddled with various mistakes. However, these scams can be competently crafted and convincingly disguised as content associated with genuine entities. Crypto scams are notorious for utilizing perfect visual copies of legitimate sites. Therefore, we strongly recommend vigilance when browsing and investing online.

How did I open a scam website?

Malvertising and social media spam are prevalent in crypto scam promotion. Intrusive pop-up advertisements can promote these scams and may even be fully functional drainers themselves (i.e., capable of executing draining scripts). These pop-ups have been encountered on legitimate websites that had been hacked.

Promotional posts and direct/private messages on social media networks can be made using accounts stolen from real projects, companies, entrepreneurs, celebrities, influencers, etc.

Other endorsement methods are not unlikely. Aside from those already mentioned, online scams are promoted through webpages using rogue advertising networks, different types of spam (e.g., forum posts, emails, browser notifications, cold calls/ robocalls, SMSes, etc.), misspelled URLs (typosquatting), and adware.

How to avoid visiting scam websites?

Caution is key to online safety. Therefore, be wary of sites, ads, and messages that make unbelievable promises or warn about severe threats. Take note of URLs and enter them carefully. Do not use websites offering pirated content or other questionable services (e.g., illegal streaming/downloading, Torrenting, etc.), as these webpages usually employ 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 dubious/irrelevant communications.

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

Instant automatic malware removal:

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Quick menu:

• What is "$SALARY 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 are a type of deceptive content promoted on the Web. These scams are designed to trick users into performing specific actions, e.g., connecting digital wallets to crypto drainers, sending money to scammers, disclosing sensitive information, downloading/installing programs, buying products, subscribing to services, etc.

What is the purpose of online scams?

Online scams are intended to generate revenue for scammers. They predominantly profit by obtaining funds through deception, promoting content (e.g., sites, products, services, programs, etc.), selling/abusing vulnerable information, and spreading malware.

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

No, cryptocurrency transactions cannot be reversed because they are nearly untraceable. Therefore, victims of scams like this fake "$SALARY Airdrop" site cannot retrieve the stolen assets.

Why do I encounter online scams?

Online scams are primarily endorsed via spam (e.g., social media posts, PMs/DMs, emails, browser notifications, etc.), websites utilizing rogue advertising networks, intrusive advertisements, mistyped URLs, and adware.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from online scams?

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