How to avoid getting scammed by fake "Ripple (XRP) Airdrop" websites

What is the fake "Ripple (XRP) Airdrop" website?

During a routine investigation, our researchers discovered this fake "Ripple (XRP)" airdrop. It claims that users will immediately receive double the amount of Ripple (XRP) tokens they contribute (other lures are possible). Victims of this scam experience financial 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.

Fake "Ripple (XRP) Airdrop" website overview

This scam is presented as an airdrop of Ripple (XRP) – the native token of the Ripple Protocol (XRP Ledger) cryptocurrency platform. The fake webpage that we investigated advertised the "Biggest XRP airdrop in History" with a pool of 100,000,000 tokens. It states that users who send XRP will receive twice the amount instantly. Early participants are promised additional rewards.

It must be emphasized that the claims made by this page are false, and this scam is not associated with the Ripple Protocol or any other existing platforms, projects, or entities.

The digital assets sent to this bogus airdrop are lost, and no return is received. It is noteworthy that airdrops are an incredibly common lure for crypto scams, particularly cryptocurrency drainers (scams that steal funds from exposed digital wallets through an automated mechanism). Hence, it is possible that the "Ripple (XRP) airdrop" theme will be used for drainers as well.

It must be mentioned that cryptocurrency transactions are irreversible because of their practically untraceable nature. Therefore, victims of such scams cannot retrieve the stolen digital assets.

Crypto scam examples

Crypto scams are prevalent on the Web. While online scams are often poorly put together and riddled with errors, they can be competently put together and convincingly disguised as content associated with genuine entities. Cryptocurrency targeting scams are notorious for utilizing perfect visual copies of legitimate websites.

These scams have three primary modes of operation: tricking users into manually transferring digital assets to scammer-owned wallets, employing draining mechanisms to siphon funds from exposed wallets, and phishing for wallet log-in credentials.

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How did I open a scam website?

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

Social media spam is widely used in crypto scam promotion. These posts and direct/private messages can be made using hacked accounts (i.e., ones originally belonging to real projects, companies, entrepreneurs, celebrities, influencers, etc.).

Intrusive pop-up adverts are commonly used to endorse crypto drainers. Some of these pop-ups are fully functional drainers themselves (i.e., capable of executing draining scripts). It is noteworthy that these ads have been encountered on legitimate sites that had been compromised.

How to avoid visiting scam websites?

Caution is key to online safety. Therefore, be wary of websites, advertisements, 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 programs/media or other questionable services (e.g., illegal streaming/downloading, Torrenting, etc.), as these webpages usually employ rogue advertising networks.

Do not permit dubious pages to deliver browser notifications; ignore or block their notification requests. Do not open attachments or links found in suspicious/irrelevant emails and other messages.

Download only from official/verified channels and be cautious when installing (e.g., read terms, explore options, use "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opt out of additional apps, extensions, tools, etc.) – to prevent dangerous 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 "Ripple (XRP) Airdrop" website (GIF):

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Quick menu:

• What is "Ripple (XRP) Airdrop" scam website?
• 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 Internet fraud. The purpose of these scams is to trick users into performing specific actions, such as making monetary transactions, disclosing vulnerable information, connecting digital wallets to cryptocurrency drainers, downloading/installing software, buying products, and so on.

What is the purpose of online scams?

Online scams are designed to generate revenue at their victims' expense. Scammers primarily profit by obtaining funds through deception, endorsing content, abusing/selling private data, and spreading malware.

I have provided my personal information when tricked by an online scam, what should I do?

If you have disclosed your log-in credentials – immediately change the passwords/passphrases of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support. However, if you've provided other private information (e.g., ID card details, passport scans/photos, credit card numbers, etc.) – contact the appropriate authorities without delay.

I have lost digital assets to a fake "Ripple (XRP) Airdrop" website, can I get my money back?

Cryptocurrency transactions cannot be reversed due to their nearly untraceable nature. Therefore, victims of scams like this fake "Ripple (XRP) Airdrop" page cannot retrieve the stolen assets.

Why do I encounter online scams?

Online scams are mainly promoted through intrusive ads, spam (e.g., browser notifications, emails, social media posts, DMs/PMs, calls, SMSes, etc.), websites using rogue advertising networks, mistyped URLs, and adware.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from online scams?

Combo Cleaner can scan every website that you visit for deceptive or malicious content. It can also deny all further access to these sites.