Elon Musk Crypto Scams Circulating via YouTube & Text Message
Author: Trend Micro
This article is from Trend Micro.
Impersonating Elon Musk is nothing new to scammers. They regularly use his name to trick people into parting with their hard-earned money — or as in these most recent cases, their hard-earned crypto.
Keep on reading to learn about two hot Elon Musk-related crypto scams that you need to be aware of!
#1 — Elon Musk YouTube Shorts Scams
Launched in July 2021, YouTube Shorts is YouTube’s short-form video sharing platform. Lately, scammers have been abusing the platform by advertising fake crypto websites and pretending that they are endorsed by Elon Musk.
Scammers are flooding YouTube Shorts with Elon Musk-related scams
The scam videos contain shots of Elon Musk talking at various unrelated conferences alongside links to scam websites (blurred in the images above). Elon Musk does not endorse any of these websites in any way, the scammers are just hoping to deceive would-be victims.
After visiting any of the malicious links in the videos, potential victims are taken to one of two crypto scam websites:
BitVex[.]org
BitVex[.]org is a fake crypto investment platform claiming to use artificial intelligence to help people make prudent investment decisions. While this sounds superb, unfortunately, the site is 100% a scam!
ElonMusk2022[.]net
ElonMusk2022[.]net is a fake crypto giveaway website. Essentially, the website encourages people to send their cryptocurrency to either a Bitcoin or Ethereum wallet, with the promise that what they send, plus extra, will be returned to them in a sort of “giveaway” scheme.
Of course, this site is a complete scam and anyone who sends the scammers their crypto will never see it again, never mind any extra!
#2 — Elon Musk Text Message Scams
The scammers have also been looking to attract victims to their scam websites through text messages. Here are two examples of the scam text messages they’ve been sending out:
- the biggest crypto event ever – {URL}
- elon musk biggest crypto event ever – {URL}
The links in the above messages lead to the website Ethtoken[.]info:
It is similar to ElonMusk2022[.]net in advertised (but untrue) functionality, except that it features the image of Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin instead.
Although the site looks quite professional and it may be tempting to instantly increase the amount of crypto you own, stay well away because it’s yet another scam!
Tips for avoiding fake crypto websites
- Be skeptical — if it seems too good to be true, it is.
- Watch out for anything crypto-related bearing the image of Elon Musk — scammers love pretending he is a supporter of their scams!
- Don’t click on links in messages sent to you by unknown numbers.
- Use Trend Micro Check to easily detect crypto scam websites in real time.
Trend Micro Check is a completely free app and browser extension for detecting scams, phishing attacks, malware, and dangerous links. Available for Android, iOS, Safari, Google Chrome, and Microsoft Edge. Click the button below to download for FREE!
Report a Scam!
Have you fallen for a hoax, bought a fake product? Report the site and warn others!
Scam Categories
Help & Info
Popular Stories
As the influence of the internet rises, so does the prevalence of online scams. There are fraudsters making all kinds of claims to trap victims online - from fake investment opportunities to online stores - and the internet allows them to operate from any part of the world with anonymity. The ability to spot online scams is an important skill to have as the virtual world is increasingly becoming a part of every facet of our lives. The below tips will help you identify the signs which can indicate that a website could be a scam. Common Sense: Too Good To Be True When looking for goods online, a great deal can be very enticing. A Gucci bag or a new iPhone for half the price? Who wouldn’t want to grab such a deal? Scammers know this too and try to take advantage of the fact. If an online deal looks too good to be true, think twice and double-check things. The easiest way to do this is to simply check out the same product at competing websites (that you trust). If the difference in prices is huge, it might be better to double-check the rest of the website. Check Out the Social Media Links Social media is a core part of ecommerce businesses these days and consumers often expect online shops to have a social media presence. Scammers know this and often insert logos of social media sites on their websites. Scratching beneath the surface often reveals this fu
So the worst has come to pass - you realise you parted with your money too fast, and the site you used was a scam - what now? Well first of all, don’t despair!! If you think you have been scammed, the first port of call when having an issue is to simply ask for a refund. This is the first and easiest step to determine whether you are dealing with a genuine company or scammers. Sadly, getting your money back from a scammer is not as simple as just asking. If you are indeed dealing with scammers, the procedure (and chance) of getting your money back varies depending on the payment method you used. PayPal Debit card/Credit card Bank transfer Wire transfer Google Pay Bitcoin PayPal If you used PayPal, you have a strong chance of getting your money back if you were scammed. On their website, you can file a dispute within 180 calendar days of your purchase. Conditions to file a dispute: The simplest situation is that you ordered from an online store and it has not arrived. In this case this is what PayPal states: "If your order never shows up and the seller can't provide proof of shipment or delivery, you'll get a full refund. It's that simple." The scammer has sent you a completely different item. For example, you ordered a PlayStation 4, but instead received only a Playstation controller. The condition of the item was misrepresented on the product page. This could be the