What sort of scam is the fake Venice ($VVV) Airdrop?

What is the "Venice ($VVV) Airdrop Scam"?

While investigating dubious websites, our researchers came across askvenicerai[.]com, a page promoting a fake $VVV token airdrop. It closely imitates the visual style of the legitimate Venice AI platform (venice.ai) and is designed to trick visitors into connecting their cryptocurrency wallets, activating a drainer that steals their digital assets.

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.

"Venice ($VVV) Airdrop Scam" in detail

Venice.ai is a legitimate private AI platform offering privacy-focused, uncensored AI inference. It has a native utility token called $VVV (Venice Token), used to access platform services and reward participants in its network.

The fraudulent site at askvenicerai[.]com copies the official Venice website's visual design almost exactly, including its logo and background imagery. It presents a "$VVV Airdrop Season" campaign, claiming users can check their token allocation based on "on-chain activity" and collect it by clicking "Claim Now".

Clicking "Claim Now" opens a wallet connection dialog listing WalletConnect, MetaMask, Trust Wallet, Uniswap Wallet, and over 530 other cryptocurrency wallet options. Once a visitor connects, a drainer is triggered automatically.

A cryptocurrency drainer is a malicious tool that transfers funds from the victim's wallet to an address controlled by the scammers. This happens automatically, without any additional confirmation prompt from the victim.

Since blockchain transactions cannot be reversed, any stolen funds are permanently lost. There is no way to recover assets taken by a drainer once the transaction is complete.

Always verify a website's authenticity before connecting a wallet or sharing any credentials. Real airdrops are announced through a project's official, verified channels - not through unfamiliar third-party domains.

Cryptocurrency drainer scam examples

Askvenicerai[.]com is a fraudulent site that impersonates the Venice AI platform and its $VVV token to lure users into connecting their cryptocurrency wallets. Once connected, a drainer automatically transfers the victim's funds to the scammers - leaving no way to recover the stolen assets.

Some examples of similar scams are "Perpl Vote Rewards", "Arrow Finance ($ARROW) Vote Rewards", and "TokenWorks Voting Rewards".

How did I open a scam website?

Fake cryptocurrency airdrop pages are frequently distributed through hijacked or fabricated social media accounts. Scammers often impersonate reputable companies, well-known crypto projects, or public figures to make their fake offers appear legitimate.

Users can also encounter these pages through misleading ads on untrustworthy websites, deceptive browser notifications, phishing emails with embedded links, and content delivered by adware. Torrent sites and illegal streaming services are common sources of such malicious advertisements.

How to avoid visiting scam pages?

Keep your operating system and installed applications up to date. Only download software from official sources and verified distribution platforms. Approach unexpected emails containing links or attachments promoting crypto offers with caution, even if they appear to come from a familiar sender.

Do not click suspicious ads, pop-ups, or links when browsing untrustworthy pages. Avoid granting notification permissions to websites you do not recognize. 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 "Venice ($VVV) Airdrop Scam" (GIF):

The official Venice website (venice.ai):

Instant automatic malware removal:

Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:

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 Venice ($VVV) 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 a fake crypto airdrop?

A fake crypto airdrop is a fraudulent page that falsely promises free tokens or cryptocurrency. These sites are typically designed to look like official promotions, but their real purpose is to steal funds by tricking visitors into connecting their wallets or revealing sensitive account details.

What is the purpose of a crypto scam?

These scams are designed to steal cryptocurrency. They use drainer tools that automatically transfer funds once a wallet is connected, or trick users into revealing their wallet recovery phrases so scammers can access and drain the wallet independently.

Why do I encounter fake websites?

Fake websites are distributed through stolen or fabricated social media accounts, rogue advertising networks, phishing emails, and misleading pop-ups on unsafe websites. Some users reach scam pages by clicking links shared in online communities or messaging platforms.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from scams?

Combo Cleaner can identify suspicious and malicious websites, including known scam pages, and warn users before they interact with them. This helps prevent cryptocurrency theft and other financial harm linked to fraudulent online platforms.