How to avoid getting scammed by fake "Trump Token Airdrop" emails

What kind of email is "Trump Token Airdrop"?

After reviewing this "Trump Token Airdrop" email, we determined that it is spam. This message states that the recipient has been selected as a participant in the "official" TRUMP token airdrop, and they have 48 hours to claim the allocated tokens. The goal of this campaign is to deceive recipients into disclosing their digital wallet log-in credentials to a phishing website.

"Trump Token Airdrop" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "CONGRATULATIONS : You are eligible to claim $trumps airdrop tokens ." promotes a variant of the "$TRUMP Airdrop" scam.

This message presents the recipient with a limited-time offer. Supposedly, it is an "official" airdrop of the TRUMP token from which the recipient is eligible to claim an allocation worth from $2,800 to $26,900. The offer is only available for 48 hours.

It must be emphasized that the information in this email is false, and this mail is not associated with the TRUMP memecoin or any other existing projects, platforms, or entities.

At the time of research, this email redirected to a phishing webpage masquerading as the official TRUMP coin site, promoting an airdrop. When the "Get Started" button is clicked, a pop-up window requests the user to select and connect their cryptowallet. Afterward, they are to enter their account password and then update their account/wallet. Following a bogus update process, the user is to import their digital wallet by entering its passphrase – thereby exposing the wallet and the funds therein.

It must be mentioned that due to the nearly untraceable nature of cryptocurrency transactions, they cannot be reversed. Therefore, victims of such scams cannot retrieve the stolen digital assets.

Spam campaigns in general

Spam campaigns are used to promote various scams, such as crypto-centric, affiliate, refund, advance fee, phishing, sextortion, technical support, and others. Deceptive emails are also utilized to proliferate malware, including trojans and ransomware.

"Webmail Security Team - Important Email Notice", "Problem With Email Account Due To Server Upgrade", "IMAP/POP3 Configuration Error", "Wells Fargo - Suspicious Card Activity Detected", "Johnson & Johnson Quotation Request", "Plesk - Resource Usage Limits", "Monthly Employee Paylist", and "DocuSign - Industrial Estate Project" are merely some of our latest articles on spam emails.

While the widely held belief that spam mail is poorly written and full of spelling/grammatical errors is untrue, it is not always the case. These emails can be competently crafted and convincingly disguised as messages from legitimate entities. Therefore, we recommend caution with incoming communications.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam campaigns spread malware by distributing malicious files as attachments or download links. These files come in various formats, such as documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (EXE, RUN, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

The infection chain is triggered once a malicious file is opened. However, certain formats need additional interaction. For example, Microsoft Office files require users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote documents need them to click on embedded links or files.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Caution with incoming emails and other messages is essential. We advise against opening attachments or links present in suspicious/irrelevant mail, as they can be infectious.

It must be mentioned that malware is not proliferated exclusively via spam campaigns. Therefore, we recommend vigilance when browsing, as fraudulent and malicious online content usually appears legitimate and harmless.

Another recommendation is to download only from official and verified sources. All programs must be activated and updated using genuine functions/tools, as illegal activation tools ("cracks") and third-party updates can contain malware.

It is paramount to have a reputable antivirus installed and kept updated. This software must be used to perform regular system scans and to remove detected threats and issues. If you've already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

Text presented in the "Trump Token Airdrop" spam email letter:

Subject: CONGRATULATIONS : You are eligible to claim $trumps airdrop tokens .

$TRUMP TOKEN

Official Airdrop Program

LIMITED TIME OFFER

Claim Your $TRUMP Token Allocation

You have been selected to participate in the exclusive $TRUMP token airdrop. Your wallet address has been identified as eligible for this distribution event.

Your Allocation:

$2,800 - $26,900

in $TRUMP tokens based on eligibility tier

CLAIM WINDOW CLOSES IN: 48 HOURS

About $TRUMP Token: The official community token with governance rights, staking rewards, and exclusive ecosystem access. Join thousands of holders in this growing digital economy.

Token Benefits:
Governance voting rights
Staking rewards up to 25% APY
Exclusive community access
Future ecosystem airdrops

1 Access Portal
Visit the secure claim portal

2 Verify Wallet
Connect your cryptocurrency wallet

3 Claim Tokens
Confirm and receive your allocation

Ready to claim your tokens? Choose an option below:
CLAIM $TRUMP TOKENS CONNECT WALLET CHECK ELIGIBILITY

Note: This is a one-time distribution. Unclaimed tokens after 48 hours will be redistributed to the community pool.

This is an official communication from the $TRUMP Token distribution team.

© 2024 $TRUMP Token. All rights reserved.
Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe

This email was sent to you as an eligible participant in the $TRUMP token airdrop program.

Appearance of the phishing website promoted by this spam campaign (GIF):

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Quick menu:

• What is "Trump Token Airdrop" phishing email?
• Types of malicious emails.
• How to spot a malicious email?
• What to do if you fell for an email scam?

Types of malicious emails:

Phishing Emails

Most commonly, cybercriminals use deceptive emails to trick Internet users into giving away their sensitive private information, for example, login information for various online services, email accounts, or online banking information.

Such attacks are called phishing. In a phishing attack, cybercriminals usually send an email message with some popular service logo (for example, Microsoft, DHL, Amazon, Netflix), create urgency (wrong shipping address, expired password, etc.), and place a link which they hope their potential victims will click on.

After clicking the link presented in such email message, victims are redirected to a fake website that looks identical or extremely similar to the original one. Victims are then asked to enter their password, credit card details, or some other information that gets stolen by cybercriminals.

Emails with Malicious Attachments

Another popular attack vector is email spam with malicious attachments that infect users' computers with malware. Malicious attachments usually carry trojans that are capable of stealing passwords, banking information, and other sensitive information.

In such attacks, cybercriminals' main goal is to trick their potential victims into opening an infected email attachment. To achieve this goal, email messages usually talk about recently received invoices, faxes, or voice messages.

If a potential victim falls for the lure and opens the attachment, their computers get infected, and cybercriminals can collect a lot of sensitive information.

While it's a more complicated method to steal personal information (spam filters and antivirus programs usually detect such attempts), if successful, cybercriminals can get a much wider array of data and can collect information for a long period of time.

Sextortion Emails

This is a type of phishing. In this case, users receive an email claiming that a cybercriminal could access the webcam of the potential victim and has a video recording of one's masturbation.

To get rid of the video, victims are asked to pay a ransom (usually using Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency). Nevertheless, all of these claims are false - users who receive such emails should ignore and delete them.

How to spot a malicious email?

While cyber criminals try to make their lure emails look trustworthy, here are some things that you should look for when trying to spot a phishing email:

• Check the sender's ("from") email address: Hover your mouse over the "from" address and check if it's legitimate. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft, be sure to check if the email address is @microsoft.com and not something suspicious like @m1crosoft.com, @microsfot.com, @account-security-noreply.com, etc.
• Check for generic greetings: If the greeting in the email is "Dear user", "Dear @youremail.com", "Dear valued customer", this should raise suspiciousness. Most commonly, companies call you by your name. Lack of this information could signal a phishing attempt.
• Check the links in the email: Hover your mouse over the link presented in the email, if the link that appears seems suspicious, don't click it. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft and the link in the email shows that it will go to firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0... you shouldn't trust it. It's best not to click any links in the emails but to visit the company website that sent you the email in the first place.
• Don't blindly trust email attachments: Most commonly, legitimate companies will ask you to log in to their website and to view any documents there; if you received an email with an attachment, it's a good idea to scan it with an antivirus application. Infected email attachments are a common attack vector used by cybercriminals.

To minimise the risk of opening phishing and malicious emails we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows. 

Example of a spam email:

What to do if you fell for an email scam?

• If you clicked on a link in a phishing email and entered your password - be sure to change your password as soon as possible. Usually, cybercriminals collect stolen credentials and then sell them to other groups that use them for malicious purposes. If you change your password in a timely manner, there's a chance that criminals won't have enough time to do any damage.
• If you entered your credit card information - contact your bank as soon as possible and explain the situation. There's a good chance that you will need to cancel your compromised credit card and get a new one.
• If you see any signs of identity theft - you should immediately contact the Federal Trade Commission. This institution will collect information about your situation and create a personal recovery plan.
• If you opened a malicious attachment - your computer is probably infected, you should scan it with a reputable antivirus application. For this purpose, we recommend using  Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.
• Help other Internet users - report phishing emails to Anti-Phishing Working Group, FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, National Fraud Information Center and U.S. Department of Justice.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why did I receive this email?

Spam emails are not personal, even if they include information of such nature. Thousands of users receive identical (or incredibly similar) messages as they are distributed through mass-scale campaigns.

I have provided my personal information when tricked by this spam email, what should I do?

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

I have lost digital assets to a scam, can I get my money back?

If you have lost digital assets to a scam, you will be unable to retrieve them due to the practically untraceable nature of cryptocurrency transactions.

I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?

Reading an email is harmless; systems are infected when malicious attachments or links are opened/clicked.

I have downloaded and opened a file attached to a spam email, is my computer infected?

Whether the device was infected might depend on the file's format. Executables cause infections almost without fail (once opened). However, some formats – such as documents – require additional interaction (e.g., enabling macros, clicking embedded content, etc.) to begin malware infiltration processes.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Combo Cleaner is designed to scan devices and eliminate all kinds of threats. It is capable of detecting and removing most of the known malware infections. Remember that performing a full system scan is paramount since high-end malicious software usually hides deep within systems.