How to recognize fake "PunkStrategy ($PNKSTR) Vote Rewards" sites

What is the fake "PunkStrategy ($PNKSTR) Vote Rewards" website?

While browsing suspicious websites, our researchers discovered this fake "PunkStrategy ($PNKSTR) Vote Rewards" site. It states that PNKSTR token holders who vote in a poll will receive an early allocation. This scam tricks users into exposing their cryptowallets to a cryptocurrency drainer.

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 "PunkStrategy ($PNKSTR) Vote Rewards" website overview

We found this scam on vote-ntstrategy[.]com, yet it could be promoted on other domains as well. The fake page promises an early PNKSTR allocation from the treasury pool funds to holders who vote on the upcoming rewards date. PunkStrategy (PNKSTR) is an experimental protocol for buying and selling CryptoPunks; 10% of the transactions are drawn into the contract, the tokens are then automatically purchased and listed at double the amount upon the floor price being reached.

It must be emphasized that the promise of rewards is false, and this scam is not associated with PunkStrategy or any other existing projects, platforms, or entities.

When a digital wallet is connected to the scam webpage, the action signs a malicious contract that facilitates the cryptocurrency drainer. Basically, the victim's funds are transferred to scammer-owned wallets. This activity is automated, and the transactions may appear vague and remain unnoticed for a significant amount of time. Some drainers can approximate the value of digital assets and determine which to prioritize stealing.

It must be mentioned that cryptocurrency transactions are irreversible because of their practically untraceable nature. Therefore, victims of scams like this fake "PunkStrategy ($PNKSTR) Vote Rewards" website cannot retrieve their digital assets.

Cryptocurrency drainer scam examples

We have analyzed thousands of online scams; "Zora Vote Rewards", "$HYPSTR Vote Rewards", and "ZIGChain Airdrop" are merely a few of our newest articles on drainers.

Crypto scams tend to operate in one of three ways: using draining mechanisms to steal funds from exposed wallets, phishing for wallet log-in credentials, or tricking users into manually transferring funds to scammer-owned wallets.

Online scams can be competently put together and even believably disguised as content associated with legitimate entities. Therefore, be vigilant when browsing and investing online.

How did I open a scam website?

Crypto drainers are commonly endorsed through intrusive pop-up ads (a type of malvertising). The advertisements may be fully functional drainers themselves; they lure users into linking their cryptowallets by promising incredible boons. These pop-up might be encountered on legitimate websites that have been hacked.

Another widely used promotional technique is social media spam. These posts and direct/private messages can be made using accounts stolen from real projects, companies, celebrities, influencers, etc.

However, other endorsement techniques are possible. Apart from those already mentioned, online scams are promoted via different types of spam (e.g., emails, forum posts, browser notifications, SMSes, robocalls/ cold calls, etc.), sites using rogue advertising networks (redirects), typosquatting (misspelled URLs), and adware (adverts/redirects).

How to avoid visiting scam websites?

Caution and vigilance are essential to ensuring your online safety. Therefore, be wary of websites, ads, and messages making promises that sound too good to be true. Pay attention to URLs and type them carefully.

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

Do not open attachments or links found in suspicious emails or other messages. Download from official/trustworthy sources and be attentive when installing (e.g., study terms and options, use "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opt out of supplementary 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 "PunkStrategy ($PNKSTR) Vote Rewards" website (GIF):

Screenshot of the official PunkStrategy website (punkstrategy.fun):

Instant automatic malware removal:

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By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by RCS LT, the parent company of PCRisk.com.

Quick menu:

• What is "PunkStrategy ($PNKSTR) Vote Rewards" 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?

An "online scam" is a type of deceptive content hosted on the Web. These scams are designed to deceive users into performing specific actions, such as connecting digital wallets to drainers, sending money to scammers, disclosing vulnerable information, downloading/installing software, purchasing products, and so on.

What is the purpose of online scams?

Online scams aim to generate revenue at their victims' expense. Cyber criminals predominantly profit by acquiring funds through deception, endorsing content (e.g., sites, products, services, etc.), sending/abusing sensitive data, and distributing malware.

I have lost digital assets to a fake "PunkStrategy ($PNKSTR) Vote Rewards" website, can I get my money back?

Cryptocurrency transactions are irreversible due to their practically untraceable nature. Therefore, victims of such scams cannot retrieve the stolen digital assets.

Why do I encounter online scams?

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

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from online scams?

Combo Cleaner can scan visited websites for deceptive/malicious content and deny all further access to these pages.