How to identify scams like the fake "Plasma (XPL) Rewards" site

What is "Plasma (XPL) Rewards" scam?

Our inspection has revealed that this is a scam website (vote-plasma[.]app) designed to trick visitors into connecting their wallets. The fraudulent age mimics the original Plasma platform (app.plasma.to) and offers rewards as a lure. It should be avoided to prevent possible monetary loss.

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.

"Plasma (XPL) Rewards" scam in detail

Plasma (app.plasma.to) is a blockchain platform designed for stablecoins, enabling fast, secure, and low-fee digital dollar transactions. It offers a Plasma One dashboard where users can send USD₮, earn interest, and use virtual or physical cards. Basically, it is a digital banking and payment system built on stablecoin technology.

The fake website (vote-plasma[.]app) invites potential victims to vote on the XPL rewards date. It instructs users to connect their wallets to join the voting. Once this action is taken, the site can activate a cryptocurrency drainer. The purpose of this malicious tool is to steal cryptocurrency from victims.

It automatically transfers cryptocurrency from the victim's wallet to the scammer's. Because blockchain transfers cannot be reversed, stolen assets are usually lost forever. Therefore, it is important to recognize scam websites and avoid connecting wallets, disclosing sensitive information, or interacting in other ways to avoid potential issues.

Similar scams in general

Fraudulent sites often tempt users with free tokens, rewards, or similar offers, but connecting a wallet can give scammers direct access to crypto assets. Since blockchain transactions cannot be reversed, victims usually lose their funds permanently. Thus, it is important to recognize scams to avoid falling for them.

More examples of crypto scams are "Y Combinator - W2026 Batch", "Stream SZN ($STRSZN) Airdrop", and "Fake RedStone Website".

How did I open a scam website?

Scammers use various methods to promote sites. A common way is malicious advertising networks that torrent pages, adult platforms, pirated streaming services, and similar sites often use. Unreliable sites may also display fake buttons, misleading links, or ads injected by adware to promote scams.

Fraudsters also utilize hacked or fake social media accounts (especially on Twitter/X and Facebook), compromised WordPress sites, and fraudulent emails. In other cases, untrustworthy pages can deliver deceptive notifications to advertise scams.

How to avoid visiting scam pages?

Do not click ads or links on untrustworthy websites, and never allow them to send notifications. Be cautious with emails or messages that seem unexpected or irrelevant - avoid clicking links or opening attachments, especially from unknown senders. Only download apps, files, or programs from official sources or trusted stores.

Make sure your operating system and applications are always up to date. Also, protect yourself by using reputable security software and running regular scans. If your computer is already infected with unwanted apps, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate them.

The appearance of "Plasma (XPL) Rewards" scam (GIF):

The original Plasma site (app.plasma.to):

Instant automatic malware removal:

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Quick menu:

• What is Fake Plasma (XPL) Rewards platforms?
• 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 a fake crypto website?

A fake crypto site is a website that pretends to be a legitimate cryptocurrency platform, exchange, or service. These sites often promise free tokens, airdrops, or high returns to lure victims.

What is the purpose of a fake crypto page?

Typically, crypto scams are used to trick users into giving away funds or personal information.

Why do I encounter scam websites?

Users can be led to malicious websites through deceptive emails, pop-ups, fake notifications, misleading links or buttons, and ads injected by adware. Scammers also use fake or hacked social media accounts, compromised websites, and malicious advertising networks to lure victims to fraudulent pages.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from scams?

Yes, Combo Cleaner detects suspicious websites during browsing, gives an alert, and prevents the user from opening the harmful page.