The anonymity of cryptocurrency exchanges allow criminals to employ Bitcoin scam techniques to obtain illegal profits
Bitcoin scam is a new and popular technique employed by criminals to increase their profits illegally. Bitcoin is the first decentralized cryptocurrency, and now the value of 1 BTC exceeds $10 500. This is probably one of the main reasons why criminals are so highly interested in developing ways how to swindle Bitcoins from the beginners.
However, Bitcoin scam gained its popularity for several other purposes as well. It is evident that now everyone is experienced enough in the IT and finance field to understand how block chain networks work completely. Likewise, hackers are superior to novice users and take advantage of their knowledge to phish Bitcoins.
Another reason is the so-called anonymity of the transactions which are made in between peers. Since anyone can create a Bitcoin wallet and make purchases without providing their personal details, it makes it harder to actually catch people who are involved in Bitcoin scams which you will find explained below.
Criminals invent fake Bitcoin exchanges to trick people
Fake Bitcoin exchanges are one of the most common phishing[1] technique which might be seen by literally everyone online. Cybercriminals create deceptive advertisements offering to purchase Bitcoin at a lower value than it is on the market. Once the unsuspecting user clicks on the ad, it redirects to a fake exchange website.
Note that not only the ad is designed to look legitimate but also the page. Therefore, many credulous people are tricked into making the transaction without fully evaluating the possibility of Bitcoin scam. For that, we suggest checking the site's protocol — HTTP indicated that the page is not secure and you should NOT trust it.
Also, keep in mind that intrusive ads are displayed by adware[2] program. Likewise, if you want to stop seeing deceptive advertisements and remove Bitcoin scam, you must get rid of the ad-supported program from your system. For that, either employ FortectIntego or follow elimination instructions at the end of this article.
You should be cautious of fake Bitcoin wallets and ponzi scams
Another way how criminals might swindle your money is fake Bitcoin wallets and promises to double your assets. Crooks try to create such site which would resemble legitimate cryptocurrency wallets and trick you into submitting your credentials directly to the scammers. However, it might be hard to identify whether the wallet is fake or legit.
We suggest you first check website's protocol as mentioned before and attentively read the link in the address bar. Usually, the link might look similar but is not the same as of legitimate site's. Thus, you should carefully search for spelling mistakes or any suspicious text in the address bar to avoid Bitcoin scam.
Additionally, closely monitor your email inbox for spam emails. Crooks often sent malicious letters which are designed to impersonate legitimate Bitcoin wallets. Unfortunately, by clicking on the link indicated in the email, you will be redirected to the fake site which looks the same and asked to submit your credentials. Do NOT fall for that!
Fake cloud mining operations can deceive many users
While the equipment for mining Bitcoins is considerably expensive, some companies offer cloud mining services which are completely legitimate. However, scammers have upgraded these services into a phishing attack which is extremely hard to identify and refers to Bitcoin scam.
However, before you are to cloud mining contracts, you must know that criminals try their best to make their companies look legitimate. Thus, you should not fall for advertising videos with fake representatives who show no proof of equipment. Note that scammers ever register their firms in big cities to prove their reliability.
Although, the only thing you should trust is time-tested and expert recommended cloud mining services. Even if Bitcoin scam removal is successful, you won't get back your lost money. Therefore, we strongly advise you to do a proper research before agreeing to long-term deals.
Ways how cryptocurrency scams spread
Since usually, criminals develop fake websites to impersonate legitimate ones, they need to promote them and attract as many people as possible. For that, they create adware programs which are designed to deliver an excessive amount of ads and perform redirects to fraudulent pages.
Adware is distributed similar to other potentially unwanted programs — they are bundled together with freeware without disclosing information. Likewise, people who choose Quick/Recommended settings during the installation are consenting to the installation of the ad-supported program as well.
If you want to avoid it, you must install free applications only with Advanced/Custom mode. These settings do not skip essential steps, and you can notice pre-selected marks which grant the permission to infiltrate adware on your system. Remember, you must ALWAYS de-select those boxes.
The best way to get rid of Bitcoin scam attempts
If you want to remove Bitcoin scam, you must uninstall the adware program from your computer. You can do it manually or automatically. Note that automatic elimination is faster and safer since you only need to employ a professional security software.
For manual Bitcoin scam removal, we suggest following instructions which you will find below. However, not all versions of these cryptocurrency phishing techniques are caused by the adware. Likewise, experts from BedyNet.ru[3] highly recommend scanning your computer with an Antivirus as well.
Uninstall from Windows
Uninstall from Windows 10/8:
- Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.
Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:
- Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
- In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.
Remove the unwanted program:
- In the Programs and Features window, look for any recently installed suspicious entries, select them, and click Uninstall.
- If User Account Control appears, click Yes to confirm, then complete the removal.
Delete from macOS
Remove the unwanted application:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).
Delete leftover files and folders:
- Select Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
- Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.
- Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.
Reset Internet Explorer
Remove dangerous add-ons:
- Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
- Pick Manage Add-ons.
- You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.
Change your homepage if it was altered:
- Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
- Select Internet Options.
- In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
- Click Apply and then select OK.
Delete temporary files:
- Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
- Under Browsing history, click Delete...
- Select relevant fields and press Delete.
Reset Internet Explorer:
- Click on Gear icon > Internet options and select Advanced tab.
- Select Reset.
- In the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset.
Remove from Microsoft Edge
Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:
- Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
- From the list, pick the extension and click on the Gear icon.
- Click Remove.
Clear cookies and other browser data:
- Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Select Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files. (apart from passwords, although you might want to include Media licenses as well, if applicable) and click on Clear.
Restore new tab and homepage settings:
- Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
- Then find On startup section.
- Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.
Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:
- Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
- Select Details tab.
- Now scroll down and locate every entry with Microsoft Edge name in it. Right-click on each of them and select End Task to stop MS Edge from running.
Instructions for Chromium-based Edge
Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):
- Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
- Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.
Clear cache and site data:
- Click on Menu and go to Settings.
- Select Privacy, search and services.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Under Time range, pick All time.
- Select Clear now.
Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- On the left side, pick Reset settings.
- Select Restore settings to their default values.
- Confirm with Reset.
- This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.
Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
Remove dangerous extensions:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
- Select Add-ons.
- In here, select the unwanted extension and click Remove.
Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Settings.
- Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.
Clear cookies and site data:
- Click Menu and pick Settings.
- Go to Privacy & Security section.
- Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
- Click on Clear Data...
- Select Cookies and Site Data and Temporary cached files and pages, then click Clear.
Reset Mozilla Firefox
If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
- Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.
- Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox...
- Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.
Remove from Google Chrome
Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:
- Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
- In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all suspicious extensions related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.
Clear cache and web data from Chrome:
- Click on Menu and pick Settings.
- Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
- Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
- Click Clear data.
Change your homepage:
- Click menu and choose Settings.
- Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
- Click on Open a specific or set of pages and click on three dots to find the Remove option.
Reset Google Chrome:
If the previous methods did not help you, reset Google Chrome to eliminate all the unwanted components:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
- Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
- Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
- Confirm with Reset settings.
Delete from Safari
Remove dangerous extensions:
- Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
- Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.
Clear history and website data:
- Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
- Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.
Reset Safari:
- Click Safari in the menu and select Preferences > Advanced.
- Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
- From the menu bar, click Develop and select Empty Caches.
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