How to avoid getting scammed by fake "Plasma Airdrop" websites

What is the fake "Plasma Airdrop" website?

While investigating suspect websites, our researchers discovered this fake "Plasma" airdrop. The scam impersonates the Plasma blockchain platform. This fraudulent page operates as a cryptocurrency drainer – by siphoning digital assets from exposed cryptowallets.

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 "Plasma Airdrop" website overview

We found this scam promoted on airdrop-plasma[.]top, yet it could be hosted on different domains as well. This webpage masquerades as Plasma's official website (plasma.to) and claims to be running an XPL (Plasma's native token) airdrop. Plasma is a Layer-1 network that provides a stablecoin infrastructure for instant global payments.

It must be stressed that this airdrop is fake and in no way associated with the actual Plasma platform or any other existing projects/entities.

When a digital wallet is connected to the scam site, the action signs a malicious contract. It is used to facilitate the cryptocurrency drainer – a mechanism that steals funds from exposed cryptowallets. This activity entails automated outgoing transactions, which may appear innocuous and remain unnoticed for a long time. Some drainers can approximate the value of digital assets and determine which to steal first.

It must be mentioned that due to the practically untraceable nature of cryptocurrency transactions, they cannot be reversed. Therefore, victims of scams like this fake "Plasma Airdrop" webpage cannot retrieve the stolen funds.

Cryptocurrency drainer scam examples

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There are three primary modes of operation for crypto scams: using draining mechanisms to siphon assets from exposed wallets, phishing for wallet log-in credentials, and deceiving users into manually transferring funds to scammer-owned wallets.

Due to how widespread scams are on the Internet and how well-made they can be – we strongly advise vigilance when browsing and investing online.

How did I open a scam website?

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

Intrusive pop-up advertisements are commonly used in crypto drainer promotion. These pop-ups may be fully functional drainers themselves (i.e., capable of executing draining scripts). Adverts of this kind have been encountered on legitimate sites that had been hacked.

Social media spam is another prevalent endorsement technique. These posts and private/direct messages can be made using accounts stolen from real projects, companies, entrepreneurs, celebrities, etc. If a promoted scam aligns with the content ordinarily posted by the account – this creates an incredible impression of legitimacy.

How to avoid visiting scam websites?

Caution is essential to online safety. Therefore, be wary of websites, ads, and messages that make unbelievable promises or warn about severe threats. Pay attention to URLs and enter them carefully. Do not use sites offering pirated content or other dubious services (e.g., Torrenting, illegal streaming/downloading, etc.), as these webpages typically employ rogue advertising networks.

Do not permit questionable pages to display browser notifications (i.e., ignore or block their requests). Be vigilant with incoming emails and other messages; do not open attachments or links found in suspicious/irrelevant communications.

Download only from official/verified sources and be attentive when installing (e.g., study terms and options, use "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opt out of additional apps, extensions, tools, 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 "Plasma Airdrop" website (GIF):

Screenshot of the official Plasma website (plasma.to):

Instant automatic malware removal:

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Quick menu:

• What is "Plasma 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 Web content. These scams are designed to deceive users into performing certain actions, such as connecting cryptowallets to drainers, disclosing sensitive information, sending money to scammers, buying products, subscribing to services, downloading/installing programs, and so on.

What is the purpose of online scams?

Online scams aim to generate revenue at their victims' expense. These scammers primarily profit by obtaining funds through deception, promoting content, selling/abusing vulnerable data, and proliferating malware.

I have lost digital assets to a fake "Plasma Airdrop" website, 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 predominantly endorsed via spam (e.g., social media posts, DMs/PMs, emails, browser notifications, etc.), websites using rogue advertising networks, intrusive ads, mistyped URLs, and adware.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from online scams?

Combo Cleaner can scan visited websites for deceptive/malicious content and restrict further access to sites hosting it.