The Truth About Meta-bluebadge: Legit or Scam? Our Review

Recently, Meta-bluebadge.com site popped up, promoting itself as a platform to store cryptocurrency and other assets safely. I managed to gather credible evidence that clearly indicates it is, in fact, a deceptive platform.

Regardless of the promises of the most user-friendly, reliable, and client-friendly service, Meta-bluebadge.com does not fulfill any of them. All this is just a golden wrap around a clear scam, which steals your funds and never gives them back. Any tales about bonuses, backing from celebrities etc are non-existent as well.

Meta-bluebadge Scam Overview

Originally, Meta-bluebadge poses as a crypto trading & cryptowallet service with exceptionally low commission fees. Another notable selling point for this service is backing from celebrities that have relation to 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 AI-generated videos where those celebrities advertise the fraud as if it was the best thing in the world. For obvious 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.

Meta-bluebadge Scam

Initially, Meta-bluebadge shares the design of numerous equivalent pages. There are quite a few examples, like Tinyhousebungalov, Yenihaftayamutlubaslq or Applybadgecenters. They are completely identical in terms of visual elements, with small discrepancies in the site header. Other specific elements, and at times even crypto wallet addresses, are the same. Probably, all these scam websites are operated by the same gang of fraudsters.

Cryptocurrency Scam Summary

How the Meta-bluebadge Scam Works?

Meta-bluebadge is a part of a significant cryptocurrency scam scheme that started circulating vividly in 2023. Scammers who stand behind it use several website designs, which still share the identical 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 validity 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 generally target Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Subsequently, the advertising campaign commences. Using bots and paid ads (when possible), fraud actors increase the visibility of their fraudulent activities to potential victims. And as I said, fraudsters do not disdain using generative AI for creating videos with the mentioned celebrities that promote their scam to the public. To boost the folks even more, swindlers claim the bonus for every user who enrolls the service immediately.

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

Step 2: Gaining Traffic

Upon clicking the promotions, users end up on a page filled with appealing offers. “Crypto starts with Meta-bluebadge”, “Your crypto savings are secured with Meta-bluebadge, “Start earning with Meta-bluebadge – they look rather reliable. To heat up the interest and make the users proceed to step 3, fraudsters say that getting the pledged bonus requires registration. And since nothing suspicious happens at this point, unexperienced users happily move on – especially since the bonus 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 be able to earn even a penny from your presence on the website.

Step 3: Data Gathering

This is where the main fraud action begins. As I just mentioned, frauds bait folks for registration with bonuses. And all the personal info 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, crooks can earn quite a penny. Nonetheless, their plans go much further.

As it turns out, you cannot use the promised bonus right away. To make at least crypto purchases on the platform with it, you need to top up the account with the equivalent sum. And this is what initiates the final stage of the scam.

Step 4: Requesting funds

Obviously, any cryptocurrency operations require having capital on your account. In the case of Meta-bluebadge, users are also coerced to top up to get the bonuses. And this is what creates most of the money flow to this scam website. By topping up the account, users hope to get the committed gift (usually $500-1000 in USDT), and may start trading on this website hoping to use all the deposited funds and withdraw them.

This is where the issues start to surface. When keeping an eye on the actual cryptocurrency wallet vs what the website says, you can observe that no transactions are done whatsoever. And then, when you’d try to pull out the capital 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 bunch of reasons to decline the wireout request. Most of them repeat what Know Your Client guidelines say, but for the Meta-bluebadge.com they are here exclusively to make the wireout impossible.

By requesting your personal data, frauds 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 funds back. And each of these checks will reveal more and more information, 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 Meta-bluebadge.com. Actually, there are a lot of scams that fall under the same points, so they are pretty much universal.

• Unsubstantiated Credibility. Meta-bluebadge employs fraudulent celebrity endorsements, often featuring names like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mr. Beast, and Mark Zuckerberg. These false claims extend to fictitious partnerships with reputable entities like Coinbase, Binance, or MetaMask, despite the absence of genuine connections.
• Implausible Earnings Claims. Promising remarkable returns of 50-100-200%, Meta-bluebadge exploits the longing for quick profits. However, such gains are unrealistic within the volatile cryptocurrency landscape, unequivocally identifying Meta-bluebadge as a scam.
• Dubious Corporate Information. Meta-bluebadge arouses suspicion by providing inadequate documentation about ownership, location, and registration. Furthermore, the lack of legitimate contact information and the recent registration of domain and social media profiles deepen skepticism.
• Exclusive Cryptocurrency Payments. Meta-bluebadge.com solely accepts payments in cryptocurrencies, refraining from traditional bank transfers and other payment methods. This approach not only shrouds the company’s identity but also prevents the possibility of requesting refunds.
• Potential Pyramid Scheme. The scam relies on a Ponzi-like referral structure disseminated through social media. Nevertheless, only initial participants profit, often at the expense of funds brought in by subsequent members.
• Groundless Hype Tactics. Meta-bluebadge utilizes fabricated claims about non-existent events, such as securing contracts with Coinbase or receiving endorsements from Elon Musk. This manipulative strategy aims to foster belief in money returns and encourages individuals to top up their accounts again.

What Should I do as a Victim?

If you had to deal with Meta-bluebadge 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.

• Immediate Reporting. Your initial step should involve promptly notifying local authorities specializing in financial fraud. Extend your reach by reaching out to wallet providers and engaging with social networks’ technical support teams. These actions serve to raise the bar for the scammers’ operations.
• Share among Friends. Amplify your efforts by informing your close friends about the scam. Similar to informing authorities, this dissemination of information restricts the scammers’ potential victim pool.
• Preserve Crucial Information. Compile a comprehensive evidence archive by capturing screenshots and archiving all relevant website-related data. Collect the website URL, screenshots of the main page, login interface, end-user license agreement (EULA), account top-up menu, and wallet addresses. These records could provide vital clues for authorities in their pursuit of the scammers.
• Exploring Refund Options. While most banks’ refund policies may exclude cryptocurrency payments, it’s advisable to explore potential refund avenues under specific circumstances. Maintain hope until you obtain confirmation of the loss.
• Transform Loss into Knowledge. Turn your financial setback into an opportunity for growth. View your loss as an investment in understanding the strategies employed by crypto scam sites. Familiarize yourself with their telltale characteristics, the methods they employ to entice individuals, and the extravagant promises they make. Equipped with this insight, you’ll be well-prepared to spot and evade future traps without suffering additional 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 course of the scam, its actors may get in touch with you with particular files. Alternatively, they may propose you to set up “cryptocurrency wallet applications” or “browser extensions” to facilitate access to your crypto savings. As we earlier determined, these scoundrels have no intent of returning your funds. So, what do these email messages and browser extensions represent? You guessed it right – that is another element of the scam designed to entice you into deliberately installing harmful applications onto your system.

Both add-ons and files added to emails can function as a shell for different malware. In this case, I foresee the presence of spyware and stealers among all forms of malware. While it is not obligatory for scammers to distribute malware, the chance is always significant. As noted, their morality is of no concern, and their reputation is already severely tarnished. They have no principles to lose and intend to boost gains.

Frequently asked questions