Recently, Bithels.com website appeared, promoting itself as a platform to keep cryptocurrency and other assets securely. I managed to gather credible evidence that unmistakably indicates it is, in fact, a fraudulent site.
Despite what Bithels site says, they won’t give back your capital. Despite the figures displayed in the “member area”, there is absolutely no means to retrieve even a single penny. All promises regarding crypto rewards are empty as well.
Bithels Scam Overview
The primary offering that Bithels strives to provide is a secure and convenient cryptocurrency wallet service. The website pledges crypto exchange solutions, tools for controlling wallets, transfers, dashboards, and alike functions. In fact, they aim to emulate the functionality of a crypto marketplace, like Binance or Coinbase. However, it in actuality solely serves as a shell intended to lull the vigilance.
To begin with, Bithels reproduces the appearance of many equivalent online platforms. There are quite a few examples, like Bitxorex, Bykamin or Bravestox. They are totally undistinguishable in terms of graphic elements, with small discrepancies in the site header. Other particulars, and at times even crypto wallet addresses, are identical. Most likely, all these scam sites are led by a single team of swindrels.
Cryptocurrency Scam Summary
| Website | Bithels.com |
| Hosting | AS42745 Safe Value Limited Seychelles, Cascade |
| IP Address | 193.233.15.77 |
| Threat Type | Scam/Fraud |
| Scam Type | Fraudulent offers of cryptocurrency services |
How the Bithels Scam Works?
Bithels is yet another webpage within a vast network of linked crypto deceptive platforms. The administrators utilize different brand names and websites, like Bithels.com, to capture victims. However, these fraudulent sites share the same designs, terms of service, and About content. This exposes their origins as a part of the equal criminal network, which promotes the same type of scam under diverse disguises. The scammers just copy the equal deceptive site under different names to mislead users into assuming they are joining a fresh venture. However, in reality, it’s the identical system of swindlers orchestrating the fraudulent promises and attempts to grab deposited cryptocurrency. The administrators cleverly utilize psychological strategies and captivating offers to implement their unscrupulous plans.
Step 1: Spreading
To start the scam, criminals create and fill accounts on popular social media platforms. They primarily target Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Subsequently, the promotional campaign commences. Utilizing bots and sponsored promotions (when possible), scam actors intensify the visibility of their deceptive activities to potential victims. This approach enables them to cast a broad net and engage with their focused spectators. The latter typically comprises of cryptocurrency fans seeking opportunities to generate profits.
Step 2: Gaining Traffic
People who express interest check out Bithels.com via links included in promotions or robotic posts. The webpage uses captivating visuals, design aspects that appear legitimate, and assertions of having a legitimate license, all designed to present an initial impression of credibility.
Step 3: Data Gathering
To claim their prizes, users need to proactively sign up on Bithels and receive instructions to provide sensitive and personal data during the registration process. This comprises linking their cryptocurrency wallets, sharing email addresses, giving phone numbers, furnishing identification papers, and more.
Step 4: Requesting funds
Once registered, users witness considerable amounts of cryptocurrency, valued at thousands of dollars, within their Bithels wallets. Nonetheless, as it usually happens with such bonuses, you cannot withdraw them prior to making a deposit. Typically, a payment of $100 is required to get the sign-up bonus. This condition serves as the trap that ultimately culminates to the money loss.
Step 5: Disappear
The moment the deposit is submitted, the fraudsters terminate all contact. They proceed to bar users, remove accounts, and abscond with both the submitted money and vital personal information. The phony benefits remain perpetually uncredited, as they lack real existence. They function purely as a phishing maneuver. This technique forms the foundation for the deceivers’ capability to deceive victims and misappropriate hard-earned funds through their double-dealing internet-based crypto fraud.
Signs of Scam
I gathered several facts that point at the scammy nature of the Bithels.com. Actually, there are a lot of scams that fall under the same points, so they are pretty much universal.
- False Celebrity Sponsorship. Bithels often resorts to fake endorsements from celebrities such as Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mr. Beast, and Mark Zuckerberg. This fraudulent tactic extends to claiming partnerships with reputable companies like Coinbase, Binance, or MetaMask, despite lacking any genuine affiliations.
- Cryptocurrency-Only Payments. Bithels.com exclusively accepts payments in cryptocurrencies, rejecting traditional bank transfers and other methods. This approach not only masks the company’s identity but also eliminates the possibility of seeking refunds.
- Dubious Company Information. Bithels raises suspicion by withholding essential ownership, location, and registration details. Furthermore, the absence of legitimate contact information and the recent establishment of domain and social media pages intensify skepticism.
- Unsubstantiated Hype. Bithels.com employs groundless hype tactics, fabricating events like securing contracts with Coinbase or receiving endorsements from Elon Musk. These manipulative techniques aim to instill false confidence and encourage further investments.
- Potential Pyramid Scheme. The scam relies on a structure resembling a Ponzi scheme, leveraging a referral system spread through social media. However, only initial participants benefit, often at the expense of subsequent investors.
- Implausible Claims. Promising returns of 50-100-200%, Bithels preys on the desire for quick profits. Yet, the volatile nature of the cryptocurrency market makes such gains highly unlikely, definitively labeling Bithels as a scam.
What Should I do as a Victim?
If you had to deal with Bithels site and fell victim to that scam, there are still some steps to take. They will make further scam attempts harder, and also boost the knowledge about that scam among folks.
- Secure Your Actions. Begin by promptly reporting the scam to appropriate local authorities tasked with handling financial fraud. Notify wallet providers and engage with social networks’ technical support teams. By taking these measures, you contribute to making the scammers’ operations significantly more difficult.
- Expand Awareness. Extend your efforts by sharing the scam information with your close friends. This action has a parallel effect to reporting to the authorities, as disseminating details about fraudulent crypto services reduces the potential victims they can deceive.
- Gather Evidence. Preserve comprehensive evidence by capturing screenshots and saving all pertinent data linked to the deceptive website. Collect the URL, screenshots of the main page, login interface, end-user license agreement (EULA), account top-up menu, and wallet addresses. These materials could prove invaluable for authorities in their pursuit of the scammers.
- Explore Refund Possibilities. While cryptocurrency payments generally fall outside the scope of refund policies within most banks, it’s worth investigating the potential for a refund in specific circumstances. Maintain optimism until you definitively confirm the loss.
- Convert Mistake into Wisdom. Transform your financial setback into a valuable learning experience. Treat your loss as an investment in understanding the tactics of crypto scam sites. Familiarize yourself with their key characteristics, how they lure individuals, and the grandiose promises they make. Armed with this knowledge, you’ll be well-equipped to recognize and avoid falling into future traps without incurring further losses.
Scan your system for possible malware infections
Beware of cross scams! Scam actors can use your trust to make you download some stuff or interact with certain documents. It may be a trap that installs malware to your system. There are no moral barriers or limits for these scoundrels.
Throughout the duration of the fraud, its actors may contact you with particular documents. Alternatively, they may propose you to set up “cryptocurrency wallet applications” or “browser extensions” to simplify access to your crypto savings. As we previously determined, these scoundrels have no plan of giving back your capital. So, what can these messages and browser extensions represent? Correct – this is another side of the fraudulent scheme designed to throw you into deliberately installing harmful applications onto your computer.
Both extensions and files attached to emails can function as a shell for different malicious code. In this case, I anticipate the presence of spyware and stealers among all forms of malware. While it is not mandatory for scammers to distribute malware, the probability is always above zero. As stated, their ethics is of no concern, and their reputation is already severely tarnished. They have nothing to lose and intend to maximize revenues.
Frequently asked questions
- Contact your bank or card provider and ask about chargeback options.
- Save screenshots, receipts, tracking numbers, and emails as evidence.
- Change reused passwords and enable two-factor authentication on important accounts.
- Watch for follow-up phishing emails pretending to offer refunds or delivery updates.
