Bitcoin scam (Free Guide) - Removal Instructions
Bitcoin scam Removal Guide
What is Bitcoin scam?
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
Bitcoin scam is a term which is used to describe phishing attempts oriented towards cryptocurrency users.
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.
You may remove virus damage with a help of FortectIntego. SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner and Malwarebytes are recommended to detect potentially unwanted programs and viruses with all their files and registry entries that are related to them.
Getting rid of Bitcoin scam. Follow these steps
Uninstall from Windows
If you are continuously redirected to suspicious websites where scammers try to swindle Bitcoins from you, try to remove the adware program which is leading you to Bitcoin scam pages like shown below:
Instructions for Windows 10/8 machines:
- Enter Control Panel into Windows search box and hit Enter or click on the search result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.
- From the list, find the entry of the suspicious program.
- Right-click on the application and select Uninstall.
- If User Account Control shows up, click Yes.
- Wait till uninstallation process is complete and click OK.
If you are Windows 7/XP user, proceed with the following instructions:
- Click on Windows Start > Control Panel located on the right pane (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
- In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.
- Pick the unwanted application by clicking on it once.
- At the top, click Uninstall/Change.
- In the confirmation prompt, pick Yes.
- Click OK once the removal process is finished.
Delete from macOS
Mac users can also encounter Bitcoin virus. Likewise, here are instructions on how to get rid of it:
Remove items from Applications folder:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for all related entries.
- Click on the app and drag it to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash)
To fully remove an unwanted app, you need to access Application Support, LaunchAgents, and LaunchDaemons folders and delete relevant files:
- Select Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Application Support and click Go or press Enter.
- In the Application Support folder, look for any dubious entries and then delete them.
- Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the related .plist files.
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 on Uninstall at the bottom.
Clear cookies and other browser data:
- Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Privacy & security.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Select everything (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 Disable if you found any suspicious domain.
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.
If this solution failed to help you, you need to use an advanced Edge reset method. Note that you need to backup your data before proceeding.
- Find the following folder on your computer: C:\\Users\\%username%\\AppData\\Local\\Packages\\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe.
- Press Ctrl + A on your keyboard to select all folders.
- Right-click on them and pick Delete
- Now right-click on the Start button and pick Windows PowerShell (Admin).
- When the new window opens, copy and paste the following command, and then press Enter:
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\\AppXManifest.xml” -Verbose
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.
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 unwanted plugin and click Remove.
Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Options.
- Under Home options, enter your preferred site that will open every time you newly open the Mozilla Firefox.
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, as well as Cached Web Content and press 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
People should search for unknown extensions or plug ins that might be related to the adware. By uninstalling them from Chrome they will no longer be redirected to Bitcoin scam pages.
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 the suspicious plugins that might be 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 unwanted extensions from Safari:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- In the new window, pick Extensions.
- Select the unwanted extension and select Uninstall.
Clear cookies and other website data from Safari:
- Click Safari > Clear History…
- From the drop-down menu under Clear, pick all history.
- Confirm with Clear History.
Reset Safari if the above-mentioned steps did not help you:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- Go to Advanced tab.
- Tick the Show Develop menu in menu bar.
- From the menu bar, click Develop, and then select Empty Caches.
After uninstalling this potentially unwanted program (PUP) and fixing each of your web browsers, we recommend you to scan your PC system with a reputable anti-spyware. This will help you to get rid of Bitcoin scam registry traces and will also identify related parasites or possible malware infections on your computer. For that you can use our top-rated malware remover: FortectIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes.
How to prevent from getting malware
Do not let government spy on you
The government has many issues in regards to tracking users' data and spying on citizens, so you should take this into consideration and learn more about shady information gathering practices. Avoid any unwanted government tracking or spying by going totally anonymous on the internet.
You can choose a different location when you go online and access any material you want without particular content restrictions. You can easily enjoy internet connection without any risks of being hacked by using Private Internet Access VPN.
Control the information that can be accessed by government any other unwanted party and surf online without being spied on. Even if you are not involved in illegal activities or trust your selection of services, platforms, be suspicious for your own security and take precautionary measures by using the VPN service.
Backup files for the later use, in case of the malware attack
Computer users can suffer from data losses due to cyber infections or their own faulty doings. Ransomware can encrypt and hold files hostage, while unforeseen power cuts might cause a loss of important documents. If you have proper up-to-date backups, you can easily recover after such an incident and get back to work. It is also equally important to update backups on a regular basis so that the newest information remains intact – you can set this process to be performed automatically.
When you have the previous version of every important document or project you can avoid frustration and breakdowns. It comes in handy when malware strikes out of nowhere. Use Data Recovery Pro for the data restoration process.