We Investigated Ether-MoonX: Legit or Scam? The Facts

Recently, Ether-moonx.com website appeared, promoting itself as a platform to store cryptocurrency and other assets securely. I managed to gather credible evidence that unmistakably reveals it is, in fact, a fraudulent platform.

Despite the promises of the most convenient, dependable, and customer-centric service, Ether-moonx.com does not fulfill any of them. All this is just a gilded wrap around a blatant scam, which takes your money and never gives them back. Any tales about bonuses, endorsement from celebrities etc are non-existent as well.

It is better to prevent, than repair and repent!

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Ether-MoonX Scam Overview

Originally, Ether-MoonX poses as a crypto trading & cryptowallet platform with remarkably low commission fees. Another bright selling point for this platform is partnerships with celebrities that are known in the crypto world. Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Vitalii Buterin, Warren Buffet – the site claims having significant support from them. To make these claims look more realistic, rascals use AI-generated videos where those celebrities promote the scam as the best thing in the world. For known reasons, Elon Musk is the most common among them. But, as I said in the introduction, all this is just a vivid wrap around an obvious scam.

Ether-MoonX Scam

First and foremost, Ether-MoonX copies the appearance of multiple similar websites. There are quite a few examples, like Siacoinex, Bitoxe or Sintexcoin. They are totally undistinguishable in terms of visual elements, with slight discrepancies in the webpage header. Other details, and sometimes even crypto wallet addresses, are the same. Presumably, all these scam sites are led by a single gang of frauds.

Cryptocurrency Scam Summary

How the Ether-MoonX Scam Works?

Ether-MoonX is a part of a extensive cryptocurrency scam scheme that started circulating actively in 2023. Swindlers who stand behind it use various website designs, which still share the similar overall layout. Another mutual element are the ways the scams like NAME are promoted, and the manner all this ends up to the victim of the scam. To reach peak efficiency, frauds apply sophisticated psychological tricks that make the user believe in the authenticity of the website. But let’s review them one by one.

Step 1: Promotion

To begin the deceptive scheme, criminals establish and fill accounts on popular social media platforms. They primarily aim at Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Subsequently, the promotional campaign commences. Using bots and paid ads (when possible), scam actors increase the exposure of their scam activities to possible victims. And as I said, fraudsters do not shy away using generative AI for creating videos with the aforementioned celebrities that advertise their scam to the public. To boost the folks even more, deceivers claim the bonus for every user who enrolls the service immediately.

Promotions of cryptoscams like Ether-MoonX in TikTok. Most of these videos are AI-generated deepfakes

Users obtain an incentive to sign up, attracted by the assurance of getting cryptocurrency prizes valued at thousands of dollars, all without cost. To enhance the appeal of the offer, fake claims of sponsorship by a celebrity are incorporated. As you may guess, these claims are entirely baseless.

Step 2: Gaining Traffic

After following the promotions, users end up on a page filled with appealing offers. “Crypto starts with Ether-MoonX”, “Your crypto savings are secured with Ether-MoonX, “Start earning with Ether-MoonX – they look rather reliable. To heat up the interest and make the users proceed to step 3, scammers say that obtaining the promised bonus requires registration. And since nothing suspicious happens at this point, unaware users happily proceed – especially as the gift appears to be right behind the corner.

At this point, it is possible to steer away from the scam without any losses. Before you sign up using your personal information, crooks will not earn even a nickel from your presence on the website.

Step 3: Data Gathering

This is where the main fraud action begins. As I just mentioned, deceivers bait folks into registration to get bonuses. And all the personal information needed for it – email, username, crypto wallet address – are valuable for user identification. Solely by gathering this information and selling it further into the Darknet, fraudsters can earn quite a penny. Still, their plans go much further.

As it turns out, you cannot use the alleged bonus right away. To make at least crypto purchases on the platform with it, the user should top up the account with the equivalent sum. At this point, the final stage of the scam begins.

Step 4: Requesting funds

It is obvious that any cryptocurrency operations require having money on your account. With Ether-MoonX, users are also coerced to top up to claim the bonuses. And these top ups is what creates the majority of the cash flow to this fraudulent site. By topping up the account, users hope to get the promised gift (usually $500-1000 in USDT), and may start engaging on this website hoping to use all the credited capital and withdraw them.

This, however, is where the first obvious issues start to surface. When keeping an eye on the real cryptocurrency wallet vs what the website says, you can observe that no transactions are done whatsoever. And then, when you’d try to withdraw the capital from your account, the scam is finally uncovered to the user.

Step 5: Escaping from Funds Withdrawal

Needless to say that scoundrels have no intentions to give your money back. But to make the denial look more realistic, they’ve crafted a whole pack of reasons to decline the transfer-out request. Most of them repeat what KYC guidelines say, but in this case they are here only to make the wireout impossible.

By asking for your personal data, deceivers just stall hoping for you to understand that you’ve been scammed and stop contacting them. If you don’t – well, there are numerous other checks you should go through before getting your funds back. And each of these checks will share more and more info of yours, which – you guessed it right – will be then sold on the Darknet. Never reveal your real info to strangers!

Signs of Scam

I gathered several facts that point at the scammy nature of the Ether-moonx.com. Actually, there are a lot of scams that fall under the same points, so they are pretty much universal.

• Cryptocurrency-Only Transactions. Ether-moonx.com insists on cryptocurrency payments exclusively, excluding conventional methods like bank transfers. This strategy ensures anonymity for the scam and eliminates any possibility of seeking refunds.
• Dubious Company Credentials. Ether-MoonX arouses suspicion by failing to provide critical information about ownership, location, and legal registration. The lack of valid contact details and the recent creation of domain and social media profiles cast doubt on its legitimacy.
• Baseless Hype Generation. Ether-MoonX resorts to fabricating non-existent achievements, such as contracts with Coinbase or endorsements from Elon Musk, to manipulate emotions and enhance the perception of potential returns, enticing victims to invest more.
• Fictitious Celebrity Association. Ether-MoonX employs a deceptive tactic by falsely associating itself with well-known figures like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mr. Beast, and Mark Zuckerberg. Additionally, the scam falsely claims partnerships with established entities like Coinbase, Binance, or MetaMask to bolster its false credibility.
• Potential Ponzi-Like Model. The scam operates on a pyramid-style referral system disseminated through social media, benefiting only initial participants and relying on later investments to sustain the illusion.
• Unrealistic Profit Promises. Promising improbable returns of 50-100-200%, Ether-MoonX capitalizes on the desire for high profits. However, the tumultuous nature of the cryptocurrency market renders such gains implausible, solidifying Ether-moonx.com as a definite scam.

What Should I do as a Victim?

If you had to deal with Ether-MoonX 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.

• Report to Authorities. Your initial action should involve reporting the scam to local authorities responsible for addressing financial fraud. Additionally, reach out to wallet providers and engage with the technical support teams of social networks. This collective effort raises the bar for the scammers’ operations.
• Inform Your Inner Circle. Extend your impact by sharing information about the scam with your close friends. Similar to notifying authorities, this dissemination of details curbs the scammers’ potential to deceive.
• Document the Trail. Assemble a comprehensive record by capturing screenshots and archiving all relevant website-related data. This encompasses the website URL, screenshots of the main page, login interface, end-user license agreement (EULA), account top-up menu, and wallet addresses. These materials offer invaluable leads for authorities in their pursuit of the scammers.
• Explore Refund Possibilities. While cryptocurrency payments may not typically align with traditional bank refund policies, it’s worthwhile to explore potential refund avenues under specific circumstances. Maintain a positive outlook until you secure confirmation of the loss.
• Transform Loss into Insight. Shift your focus from the financial loss to gaining wisdom. Consider your loss as an investment in comprehending the tactics employed by crypto scam sites. Familiarize yourself with their distinctive traits, the methods they employ to entice individuals, and the extravagant pledges they make. This knowledge equips you to recognize and avoid future traps, minimizing the risk of enduring further financial setbacks.

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 scam, its actors may get in touch with you with specific documents. Alternatively, they may offer you to set up “cryptocurrency wallet applications” or “browser extensions” to streamline access to your cryptocurrency assets. As we already figured out, these scoundrels have no intent of giving back your money. So, what do these messages and browser plugins represent? Correct – that is another side of the fraudulent scheme designed to throw you into willingly installing destructive software onto your system.

Both extensions and attachments added to emails can act as a carrier for diverse malicious software. In this scenario, I anticipate the presence of spyware and stealers among other forms of malware. While it is not obligatory for scammers to distribute malware, the probability is always existent. As noted, their ethics is of negligible importance, and their dignity is already severely tarnished. They have no scruples to give up and strive to maximize revenues.

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