How to avoid getting scammed by fake "OpenChat ($CHAT) Token" airdrops

What is the fake "OpenChat ($CHAT) Token Airdrop" website?

While browsing suspicious websites, our researchers discovered this fake "OpenChat ($CHAT) Token" airdrop. The webpage impersonates OpenChat's official website (oc.app) and promotes an airdrop of the CHAT token. The purpose of this scam is to deceive visitors into exposing their digital wallets to a crypto 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 "OpenChat ($CHAT) Token Airdrop" website overview

We found this scam on ocairdrop[.]app, yet it could also be hosted on other domains. The site in question masquerades as the official website of OpenChat (oc.app) – a decentralized messaging application that integrates crypto features, such as a built-in digital wallet, a native token (CHAT), and supporting token transfers.

The deceptive website states that eligible users can claim a CHAT token airdrop (misspelled in the page as "CHIT"). It must be stressed that this airdrop is fake and not associated with the actual OpenChat or any other existing projects, platforms, or entities.

When a digital wallet is connected to the scam website, the action signs a malicious contract. It facilitates the cryptocurrency drainer, which transfers victims' assets to scammer-owned wallets through automated transactions. Some drainers can approximate the value of digital assets and determine which to prioritize stealing.

It is pertinent to mention that these transactions may appear innocuous and remain unnoticed for a long time. What is more, cryptocurrency transactions are irreversible because they are practically impossible to trace. Therefore, victims of scams like this fraudulent "OpenChat ($CHAT) Token Airdrop" site cannot recover their funds.

Cryptocurrency drainer scam examples

"Xmas Cult (XMAS) Airdrop", "HumidiFi Airdrop", "The Official 67 Coin Airdrop", fake "SimpleX Chat" website, and "RizzmasCTO Airdrop" are merely some of our newest articles on drainers.

Aside from using draining scripts, crypto scams commonly operate by deceiving users into manually transferring assets to scammer-owned wallets or by phishing for wallet log-in credentials.

Due to how prevalent scams are on the Internet and how well-disguised they can be – we highly recommend vigilance when browsing and investing online.

How did I open a scam website?

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

Cryptocurrency drainers are often promoted through intrusive pop-up ads, which may be capable of executing draining scripts. These pop-ups may be encountered on legitimate websites that had 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, entrepreneurs, celebrities, influencers, and so on.

How to avoid visiting scam websites?

Caution is key to ensuring your online safety. Therefore, pay attention to URLs and type them carefully. Be wary of websites, advertisements, and messages that make unbelievable promises or urge immediate action against severe threats. Do not use sites offering pirated content or other dubious services (e.g., illegal streaming, downloading, torrenting, etc.), as these webpages are typically monetized via rogue advertising networks.

Ignore or block browser notification delivery requests from suspicious websites. Be vigilant with incoming emails and other messages; do not open attachments or links found in questionable/irrelevant communications.

Download only from official/verified sources and be attentive when installing (e.g., read terms, study options, use "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opt out of supplementary apps, extensions, etc.) – to prevent bundled/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 "OpenChat ($CHAT) Token Airdrop" website (GIF):

Screenshot of the official OpenChat website (oc.app):

Instant automatic malware removal:

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Quick menu:

• What is "OpenChat ($CHAT) Token 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 content promoted on the Web. These scams are designed to trick users into performing specific actions, such as connecting digital wallets to crypto drainers, disclosing sensitive information, sending money to scammers, purchasing products, downloading/installing software, subscribing to services, and so forth.

What is the purpose of online scams?

The purpose of online scams is to generate revenue at their victims' expense. Cyber criminals predominantly profit by obtaining funds through deception, promoting content (e.g., websites, products, services, software, etc.), selling/abusing private information, and distributing malware.

I have lost digital assets to a fake "OpenChat ($CHAT) Token Airdrop" website, can I get my money back?

Cryptocurrency transactions cannot be reversed because they are practically untraceable. Therefore, victims of scams like this fake "OpenChat ($CHAT) Token Airdrop" website are unable to recover the stolen digital assets.

Why do I encounter online scams?

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

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from online scams?

Combo Cleaner can scan visited sites and detect rogue, deceptive, and malicious webpages. It can also restrict all further access to these websites.