We Looked at the Evidence: Is Ethtyu Legit or Scam?

Recently, Ethtyu.com site appeared, promoting itself as a place to keep cryptocurrency and other assets securely. I managed to gather reliable proof that clearly confirms it is, in truth, a fraudulent site.

Regardless of the promises of the most easy, dependable, and customer-centric service, Ethtyu.com does not fulfill any of them. In fact, all this is just a gilded wrap around a clear scam, which steals your money and never returns them. Any tales about bonuses, backing from celebrities etc are absent as well.

Ethtyu Scam Overview

Originally, Ethtyu poses as a cryptocurrency trading & cryptowallet platform with remarkably low commission fees. Another notable selling point for this service is backing from celebrities that are known in the crypto world. Vitalii Buterin (Ethereum creator), Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet – the site says about being supported by them. To make these claims look more realistic, rascals use deepfake videos where those celebrities advertise the fraud as the best thing in the world. For known reasons, Elon Musk is the most common choise for that. But, as I mentioned above, all this is just a glaring wrap around an obvious scam.

Ethtyu Scam

First and foremost, Ethtyu repeats the appearance of multiple similar online platforms. There are quite a few examples, like Bezoraz, Muskrun or Mucela. They are entirely indistinguishable in terms of visual elements, with slight discrepancies in the site header. Other specific elements, and sometimes even crypto wallet addresses, are the same. Presumably, all these deceptive online platforms are led by a single gang of fraudsters.

Cryptocurrency Scam Summary

How the Ethtyu Scam Works?

Ethtyu is a part of a significant cryptocurrency scam scheme that started circulating actively in 2023. Swindlers who stand behind it use several website designs, which still share the similar overall layout. Another shared 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 advanced psychological tricks that make the user believe in the legitimacy of the website. But let’s review them one by one.

Step 1: Promotion

To begin the fraud, criminals create and fill accounts on popular social media platforms. They generally aim at Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Subsequently, the marketing campaign begins. Utilizing bots and sponsored promotions (when feasible), scam actors intensify the presence of their scam activities to potential victims. And as I said, crooks do not disdain 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 joins the service immediately.

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

Users get a stimulus to sign up, enticed by the assurance of getting crypto prizes valued at hundreds of dollars, all for free. To increase the appeal of the offer, false claims of sponsorship by a celebrity are added. As you may guess, these claims are entirely baseless.

Step 2: Gaining Traffic

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

This is the last stage when it is possible to get away from the scam without any losses. Before you sign up using your personal data, frauds will not be able to earn even a penny from your presence on the website.

Step 3: Data Gathering

This is the starting poing of the main fraud action. As I just said, frauds bait folks into signing up for bonuses. And all the personal data needed for it – username, email, cryptocurrency wallet address – is valuable for user identification. Only by gathering this info and selling it further into the Darknet, crooks can earn quite a penny. Nonetheless, 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, you need to top up the account with the sum of a bonus. At this point, the final stage of the scam begins.

Step 4: Requesting funds

Obviously, any crypto purchases require having money on your account. In the case of Ethtyu, users are also compelled to top up to use the bonuses. And these top ups is what creates most of the cash flow to this scam site. By topping up the account, users hope to get the pledged gift (usually $500-1000 in USDT), and may start engaging on this website hoping to use all the deposited capital and withdraw them.

This is where the victim notices the issues. When comparing the actual crypto wallet vs what the website says, you can spot that no transactions are done whatsoever. And then, when you’d try to pull out the money from your account, the scam is finally uncovered to the user.

Step 5: Escaping from Funds Withdrawal

Needless to say that scoundrels have zero intentions to send you money. Though to make the fraud look more legitimate, they’ve made up a whole bunch of reasons to decline the withdrawal request. Usually, they repeat what Know Your Client requirements say, but for the Ethtyu.com they are here only to make the withdrawal impossible.

By asking for your personal information, scammers just stall hoping for you to understand that you’ve been scammed and stop contacting them. If you don’t – well, there are a dozen other checks you would desperately need to undergo before getting your grand back. And every check will uncover 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 Ethtyu.com. Actually, there are a lot of scams that fall under the same points, so they are pretty much universal.

• Cryptocurrency-Only Transactions. Ethtyu.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. Ethtyu 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. Ethtyu 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. Ethtyu 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%, Ethtyu capitalizes on the desire for high profits. However, the tumultuous nature of the cryptocurrency market renders such gains implausible, solidifying Ethtyu.com as a definite scam.

What Should I do as a Victim?

If you had to deal with Ethtyu 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 timeline of the fraud, scoundrels may contact you with particular files. Alternatively, they may offer you to set up “cryptocurrency wallet applications” or “browser extensions” to simplify access to your crypto savings. As we already determined, these scammers have no plan of restoring your money. So, what can these emails and browser add-ons represent? You guessed it right – that is another element of the deceptive plan designed to entice you into deliberately installing destructive software onto your device.

Both plugins and attachments added to email messages can act as a carrier for different malicious software. In this scenario, I expect the presence of spyware and stealers among all forms of malicious programs. While it is not mandatory for scammers to distribute malware, the probability is always above zero. As stated, their ethics is of little concern, and their dignity is already seriously marred. They have no scruples to give up and intend to maximize profits.

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