How to avoid getting scammed by fake "ZIGChain" airdrops

What is the fake "ZIGChain Airdrop" website?

While browsing dubious websites, our researchers discovered this fake "ZIGChain" airdrop. This scam operates as a cryptocurrency drainer – by stealing funds from exposed digital wallets. The deceptive site impersonates ZIGChain, yet bears no actual association with this blockchain.

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 "ZIGChain Airdrop" website overview

We found this scam promoted on claim-zigchain[.]io, but it could also be hosted on other domains. This webpage impersonates ZIGChain's official website (zigchain.com). ZIGChain is a Layer-1 blockchain aiming to democratize wealth generation, with one of its primary drivers being the tokenization of real-world assets.

The airdrop this page runs is fake and is in no way associated with the actual ZIGChain or any other existing projects, platforms, or entities.

Once a cryptowallet is connected to the fraudulent site, the action signs a malicious contract that facilitates the cryptocurrency drainer. Essentially, the victim's funds are transferred to scammer-owned wallets through automated transactions. Some drainers can roughly estimate the value of digital assets and determine which to prioritize stealing. These outgoing transactions may appear vague and remain unnoticed for a long time.

It must be mentioned that cryptocurrency transactions cannot be reversed because they are practically untraceable. Therefore, victims of scams like this fake "ZIGChain Airdrop" webpage cannot recover the stolen digital assets.

Cryptocurrency drainer scam examples

We have written about countless online scams; "BNB MEME SZN (SZN) Token Distribution", "Qace Dynamics ($QACE) Vote Rewards", and "Just Elizabeth Cat ($ELIZABETH) Airdrop" are just a couple of our latest articles on drainers.

Typically, crypto scams operate in one of three ways: using draining mechanisms to siphon funds from exposed wallets, phishing for wallet log-in credentials, and tricking users into manually transferring assets to scammer-owned wallets.

Due to how widespread scams are on the Web and how well-crafted they can be – we strongly advise exercising caution when browsing and investing online.

How did I open a scam website?

Cryptocurrency drainers are commonly promoted via intrusive pop-up adverts (a type of malvertising). Some of these pop-ups are fully functional drainers themselves; they entice users into "connecting" cryptowallets by promising incredible benefits. Advertisements of this kind have been encountered on legitimate sites that had been compromised.

Social media spam is often used to endorse crypto scams. Promotional posts and direct/private messages can be made using hacked accounts (i.e., ones originally belonging to real projects, companies, celebrities, influencers, etc.).

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

How to avoid visiting scam websites?

Caution is essential to ensuring your online safety. Therefore, be wary of websites, advertisements, and messages that make unbelievable promises or warn about severe threats. Pay attention to URLs and be attentive when typing them.

Do not use sites offering pirated programs/media or other dubious services (e.g., Torrenting, illegal streaming/downloading, etc.), as these webpages are typically monetized via rogue advertising networks. Do not permit questionable pages to display browser notifications; ignore or deny their requests (i.e., click "Block", "Block Notifications", etc.).

Be vigilant with incoming emails and other messages; do not open attachments or links found in suspicious/irrelevant mail. Download from official/trustworthy sources and be cautious when installing (e.g., study terms and options, use "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opt out of additional apps, extensions, features, etc.) – to prevent harmful software (like adware) 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 "ZIGChain Airdrop" website (GIF):

Screenshot of the official ZIGChain website (zigchain.com):

Instant automatic malware removal:

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Quick menu:

• What is "ZIGChain 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 Web content that aims to deceive users into performing specific actions. To elaborate, victims can be enticed into linking digital wallets to crypto drainers, disclosing sensitive information, making monetary transactions, downloading/installing programs, purchasing products, and so forth.

What is the purpose of online scams?

Online scams are designed to generate revenue at their victims' expense. Cyber criminals predominantly profit by obtaining funds through deception, endorsing content (e.g., sites, products, services, etc.), abusing/selling vulnerable data, and spreading malware.

I have lost digital assets to a fake "ZIGChain 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?

The most widely used promotional techniques include: websites using rogue advertising networks, spam (e.g., social media posts, PMs/DMs, emails, browser notifications, etc.), intrusive adverts, misspelled URLs, and adware.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from online scams?

Combo Cleaner can scan visited websites for deceptive or malicious content and deny further access to them.