Recently, Hasterbit.com website appeared, promoting itself as a platform to keep cryptocurrency and other assets safely. I managed to gather credible proof that clearly confirms it is, actually, a fraudulent service.
Regardless of the promises of the most user-friendly, trustworthy, and client-friendly service, Hasterbit.com does not follow any of them. In fact, all this is just a golden wrap around a clear scam, which takes your money and never gives them back. Any stories about gifts, sponsorship from celebrities etc are absent as well.
Hasterbit Scam Overview
Originally, Hasterbit poses as a crypto trading & cryptowallet platform with exceptionally low commission fees. Another bright selling point for this site is backing from celebrities that have relation to the crypto world. Warren Buffet, Elon Musk, Vitalii Buterin, Jeff Bezos – the site says about being supported by them. To make these claims look real, frauds employ AI-generated videos where those celebrities promote the fake crypto service as the best thing in the world. Obviously, Elon Musk is the most common among them. But, as I said in the introduction, all this is just a glaring wrap around an obvious scam.
Hasterbit Scam
First and foremost, Hasterbit repeats the layout of numerous equivalent websites. There are quite a few examples, like Bitxev, Bitupchange or Bitcomodo. They are totally undistinguishable in terms of visual elements, with minor discrepancies in the website header. Other specific elements, and sometimes even crypto wallet addresses, are the same. Presumably, all these deceptive online platforms are managed by the same group of scoundrels.
Cryptocurrency Scam Summary
| Website | Hasterbit.com |
| Hosting | AS13335 Cloudflare, Inc. United States, San Francisco |
| IP Address | 188.114.97.3 |
| Threat Type | Scam/Fraud |
| Scam Type | Fraudulent offers of cryptocurrency services |
How the Hasterbit Scam Works?
Hasterbit is a part of a significant cryptocurrency scam scheme that started circulating actively in 2023. Scammers who stand behind it use various website designs, which still share the same 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 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 start the deceptive scheme, criminals set up and fill accounts on popular social media platforms. They generally target Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Subsequently, the marketing campaign commences. Utilizing bots and sponsored promotions (when achievable), fraud actors intensify the exposure of their scam activities to possible victims. And as I said, scammers do not shy away using generative AI for creating clips with the aforementioned celebrities that promote their scam to the public. To boost the folks even more, deceivers claim the bonus for every user who registers the service immediately.
Promotions of cryptoscams like Hasterbit in TikTok. Most of these videos are AI-generated deepfakes
Users receive an encouragement to enroll, drawn by the assurance of getting cryptocurrency prizes valued at thousands of dollars, all for free. To increase the attractiveness of the offer, false claims of sponsorship by a celebrity are added. As you may guess, these assertions are completely baseless.
Step 2: Gaining Traffic
After clicking the ads, victims end up on a page filled with attractive offers. “Crypto starts with Hasterbit”, “Your crypto savings are secured with Hasterbit, “Start earning with Hasterbit – they look rather reliable. To heat up users and make them proceed to step 3, scammers say that getting the promised bonus requires registration. And since nothing questionable happens at this point, unexperienced users happily move on – especially since the reward appears to be right behind the corner.
This is the last stage when it is possible to steer away from the scam without any losses. Before you sign up using your personal information, rascals 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 for bonuses. And all the personal information needed for it – username, email, cryptocurrency wallet address – are valuable for user identification. Exclusively by gathering this info and selling it further into the Darknet, fraudsters can earn quite a penny. Nonetheless, their plans go much further.
As it turns out, the claimed bonus is not available to use right away. To make it at least usable for crypto purchases, the user should top up the account with the equivalent sum. And this is what initiates the final step of the scam.
Step 4: Requesting funds
Eventually, any crypto purchases require having money on your account. With Hasterbit, users are also compelled to top up to get the bonuses. And these top ups is what creates most of the cash flow to this scam website. By topping up the account, users hope to get the promised gift (usually $500-1000 in USDT), and may start engaging on this site hoping to use all the credited funds and withdraw them.
This, however, is where the problems start to surface. When comparing the actual cryptocurrency wallet vs what the site says, you can spot that no transactions are done whatsoever. And then, when you’d try to pull out the funds from your account, the scam is finally uncovered to the user.
Step 5: Escaping from Funds Withdrawal
There’s no need to explain that fraudsters are naught on intentions to return your money. But to make it look more legitimate, they’ve elaborated a whole pack of reasons to decline the wireout request. Usually, they repeat what Know Your Client guidelines say, but for the Hasterbit.com they are here exclusively to make the withdrawal impossible.
By asking for your personal data, scammers just stall hoping for you to accept the loss and stop contacting them. If you don’t – well, there are a dozen other checks you would desperately need to undergo before getting your funds back. And every check 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 Hasterbit.com. Actually, there are a lot of scams that fall under the same points, so they are pretty much universal.
- Absent company details. Hasterbit does not provide any documentation about its ownership, location or registration. No legitimate contact details are given either. Moreover, it appears that the domain and all social network pages were registered quite recently.
- Fake sponsorship from a celebrity. Scams like Hasterbit like to pick a celebrity as a sponsor of this entire campaign. For obvious reasons, fraudsters generally choose Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mr. Beast, Mark Zuckerberg, and similar celebrities. They do not disdain claiming partnership with a company as well. Even though Coinbase, Binance or MetaMask never heard of Hasterbit, they do not care – this creates a halo of credibility.
- Potential Ponzi Scheme. The scam relies on a Ponzi-like referral system to spread reach through social media. In fact, only the first members will receive the payoff, at the cost of the money brought by other members.
- Hype without facts. Frauds can cheer up their victims from time to time, using claims about non-existent events. “We got contracts with Coinbase”, “Elon Musk mentioned us as the most prolific crypto project” – you could likely hear something like that. This is made to make people believe in their money return. This can be the sauce to make people top-up their accounts once again.
- Crypto-only incoming payments. Whether the user tries to top-up the account, hackers will only accept payments in crypto – no bank transfers or other payment methods. Such an approach completely hides the identity of the company and deprives you of the ability to ask for a refund.
- Claims are too good to be true. Let’s be sane and sober: even in crypto space, there are not many places where you can earn 50-100-200%. Being able to participate in all of them is nearly impossible, as well as it is impossible to insure or hedge all the risks. Even by that reason alone I can tell that the Hasterbit is a definite scam.
What Should I do as a Victim?
If you had to deal with Hasterbit 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 install “cryptocurrency wallet applications” or “browser extensions” to simplify access to your crypto savings. As we previously figured out, these scoundrels have no intent of returning your funds. So, what do these email messages and browser add-ons represent? You guessed it right – that is another component of the deceptive plan designed to entice you into willingly running destructive applications onto your computer.
Both extensions and files attached to emails can act as a shell for diverse malicious code. In this situation, I foresee the presence of spyware and stealers among other types of malicious programs. While it is not mandatory for scammers to distribute malware, the likelihood is always above zero. As noted, their ethics is of negligible importance, and their dignity is already deeply compromised. They have no scruples to lose and intend to maximize gains.
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Frequently asked questions
The vast majority of information posted on the Hasterbit site is false. It is either fabricated, or a manipulation that misses the context of mentioned events. However, things like quotes or other interactive elements related to current prices may be trustworthy. But I would rather avoid using them as a primary source of information.
No, there is no legitimate information on the Hasterbit site. The operators of this site use fabricated details and deceptive tactics to create an appearance of credibility, such as appealing visuals and claims of being a licensed company. However, these claims are false, and the site is part of a larger network of interconnected crypto scam sites designed to defraud victims. The scammers manipulate users into providing sensitive personal information and making deposits, ultimately leading to the loss of funds.
Unfortunately, recovering funds lost to a scam like Hasterbit can be extremely challenging, if not impossible. Scammers often operate from obscure locations and use various tactics to cover their tracks, making it difficult to trace or retrieve the stolen funds. In many cases, these scams are designed to exploit victims and disappear once they have obtained the money.
Spotting crypto trading scams requires vigilance and a critical eye. Here are some tips to help you identify potential crypto trading scams in the future:
- Verify Regulation and Licensing. Before proceeding, ensure that the platform or service is regulated and possesses the necessary licenses from relevant authorities. Scammers often operate without proper authorization.
- Resist Urgency. Be cautious of tactics that create a false sense of urgency to pressure you into quick decisions. Legitimate investments provide ample time for research and consideration.
- Consult Reviews and Feedback. Seek independent reviews and feedback from other traders. While positive reviews can be fabricated, negative reviews often reveal valuable insights.
- Question Unrealistic Promises. Approach offers with unrealistically high returns or guaranteed profits skeptically. If an investment opportunity seems too good to be true, it probably is.
- Scrutinize Celebrity Endorsements. Exercise skepticism when faced with endorsements from celebrities or public figures. Scammers frequently create fake endorsements to enhance credibility.
If you have become a victim of a Hasterbit or similar crypto trading scam, it’s important to take immediate action to minimize further damage and increase the chances of recovering your losses. Here’s what you should do:
- Cease Communication. If you realize that you’ve been scammed, stop all communication with the scammers. Do not respond to their emails, messages, or calls.
- Document Everything. Gather and preserve all relevant information, including emails, screenshots, transaction records, and any communication you had with the scammers. This documentation will be crucial for reporting the scam and seeking assistance.
- Report to Authorities. File a report with your local law enforcement agency and any relevant regulatory authorities in your country. Provide them with all the evidence you have gathered. This helps initiate investigations and raises awareness about the scam.
- Contact Financial Institutions. If you made any payments or deposits using your credit card or bank account, contact your financial institution immediately. They may be able to help you with disputing transactions or initiating a chargeback.
- Seek Legal Advice. Consult with a legal professional who specializes in fraud or financial matters. They can provide advice on potential legal actions you can take to recover your funds.
- Notify Cryptocurrency Exchanges. If you used a cryptocurrency exchange to make transactions related to the scam, notify the exchange about the fraudulent activity. They may be able to assist you in some cases.
- Monitor Your Accounts. Keep a close eye on your financial and online accounts for any suspicious activity. Change passwords and enable two-factor authentication wherever possible.
The truth about Hasterbit
Name: Hasterbit
Description: Cryptocurrency scams continue to increase as digital assets achieve mainstream adoption. A recent example of such a scam involves Hasterbit, a fraudulent crypto exchange that entices victims with promises of free crypto giveaways. This detailed article will extensively examine the operations of the Hasterbit scam, techniques for recognizing it, and, most crucially, ways to evade becoming a victim.
Operating System: All
Application Category: Crypto Scams
