How to avoid scams like "U.S Oil ($USOR) Airdrop"

What is the fake "U.S Oil ($USOR) Airdrop"?

Our analysis has determined that gousoroil[.]lat is a fraudulent website, created to mimic the original United States Oil Reserve (USOR) site, usor.tech. It is used by scammers to trick visitors into taking actions that can lead to cryptocurrency theft. This fraudulent page should be avoided and closed if encountered.

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.

"U.S Oil ($USOR) Airdrop" scam in detail

Usor.tech is presented as the online platform for the U.S. Oil Reserve, offering a tokenized version called USOR. It claims that the $USOR token provides on-chain exposure to real-world oil reserves, which are secured by the United States Oil Reserve and maintained with high standards of security, transparency, and governance.

The scam website, gousoroil[.]lat, claims users can receive a USOR airdrop by participating in a cryptocurrency rewards program. It promotes free U.S. oil–related crypto distributions and suggests users can track and claim airdrops from well-known blockchain projects within the Solana ecosystem.

The page encourages visitors to connect their wallets to "claim airdrop". However, once a wallet is connected, the scam site activates a cryptocurrency drainer. This malicious tool is used to empty wallets. It operates by transferring cryptocurrency from the victim's wallet to the scammer's.

Because blockchain transactions are irreversible, cryptocurrency stolen through scams cannot be recovered. Users should be cautious of free token offers on unofficial sites and must not connect their wallets or share private keys on such pages.

Conclusion

Overall, this scheme promises free cryptocurrency to lure victims into connecting their wallets. Once this action is taken, funds can be stolen with no possibility of recovery. Users should only interact with verified platforms and treat airdrop offers with caution.

Examples of similar scams are "Memecoin Mania Airdrop Scam", "Multisender Airdrop Scam", and "Pengujak Airdrop Scam".

How did I open a scam website?

Threat actors commonly use hijacked WordPress websites, fake or compromised social media profiles on platforms such as Facebook and X, and harmful advertising networks found on torrent sites, illegal streaming services, and other high-risk pages to draw users into scams.

Victims can also be redirected to fraudulent pages after clicking misleading pop-ups, buttons, or links on untrustworthy sites, links in scam emails, ads served by adware, or notifications from suspicious websites.

How to avoid visiting scam pages?

Keep your operating system and applications up to date, and regularly scan your device using trusted security software. Download software and files only from official websites or reputable app stores. Avoid enabling notifications on questionable pages and do not interact with suspicious ads, pop-ups, or links on untrustworthy sites.

Be cautious when dealing with unexpected emails or messages, and never open attachments or click links unless you are confident they are not malicious. If your computer is already infected with unwanted apps, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate them.

The appearance of "U.S Oil ($USOR) Airdrop" scam (GIF):

The original website (usor.tech):

Instant automatic malware removal:

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Quick menu:

• What is Fake U.S Oil ($USOR) giveaway?
• 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 a fake crypto airdrop?

The goal of these scams is to mislead users into believing they are eligible for free cryptocurrency. However, victims never receive any cryptocurrency.

What is the purpose of a crypto scam?

Scammers commonly steal cryptocurrency through crypto drainers, stolen login credentials, or by convincing victims to send funds themselves.

Why do I encounter scam websites?

Scammers often lure victims in through compromised WordPress sites, harmful ad networks, and fake or hijacked social media accounts. Users may also encounter fraudulent pages after clicking misleading pop-ups or links, phishing emails, ads generated by adware, or links sent through suspicious website notifications.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from scams?

Combo Cleaner can detect potentially unsafe websites, including scam pages, and warn users when such sites are identified.