Musktrades Review: Legit or Scam? Read This First

Written by Daniel Zimmerman

Recently, Musktrades.com service popped up, promoting itself as a platform where you can securely keep cryptocurrency and other assets. I managed to gather reliable supporting information that unmistakably indicates it is, actually, a deceptive platform.

Despite what Musktrades site states, they won’t ever refund your capital. Regardless of the figures displayed in the “member area”, there is zero means to retrieve even a single cent. All pledges regarding crypto incentives are baseless as well.

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Musktrades Scam Overview

The key feature that Musktrades attempts to provide is a protected and user-friendly crypto wallet service. The site promises exchange solutions, tools for managing wallets, transfers, dashboards, and alike functions. In fact, they aim to emulate the functionality of a crypto marketplace, akin to Binance or Coinbase. However, it in actuality exclusively serves as a shell intended to deceive the cautious.

Musktrades.com Scam

Musktrades Scam

Initially, Musktrades mimics the appearance of numerous equivalent websites. There are quite a few examples, like Kvitrix, Jeffvex or Korenaq. They are completely indistinguishable in terms of visual elements, with slight discrepancies in the website header. Other details, and sometimes even crypto wallet addresses, are the same. Probably, all these deceptive sites are led by a single gang of swindrels.

Cryptocurrency Scam Summary

WebsiteMusktrades.com
HostingAS13335 Cloudflare, Inc.
United States, San Francisco
IP Address104.21.59.249
Threat TypeScam/Fraud
Scam TypeFraudulent offers of cryptocurrency services

How the Musktrades Scam Works?

Musktrades is yet another online platform within a wide-ranging network of linked crypto fraudulent platforms. The operators utilize different brand identities and websites, like Musktrades.com, to ensnare victims. However, these deceptive websites have in common identical website designs, terms of service, and About information. This exposes their beginnings as parts of the equal criminal network, which promotes the same type of fraud under various appearances. The deceivers just replicate the equal deceptive website under different names to deceive users into assuming they are enrolling a new platform. However, in actuality, it’s the equal system of scammers orchestrating the fraudulent promises and attempts to take deposited cryptocurrency. The managers shrewdly employ psychological maneuvers and enticing invitations to implement their deceitful plots.

Step 1: Spreading

To begin the scam, criminals create and fill accounts on popular social media platforms. They generally target Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Subsequently, the advertising campaign starts. Utilizing bots and sponsored promotions (when possible), scam actors intensify the exposure of their deceptive activities to possible victims. This strategy permits them to create an extensive net and engage with their targeted spectators. The group commonly comprises of cryptocurrency enthusiastic individuals looking for opportunities to earn profits.

Users obtain an encouragement to enroll, enticed by the assurance of receiving crypto rewards valued at thousands of dollars, all free of charge. To augment the attractiveness of the offer, fake suggestions of cooperation with a celebrity are added. As you may guess, these claims are entirely baseless.

Step 2: Gaining Traffic

Users who express interest go to Musktrades.com via links included in promotions or robotic posts. The webpage uses captivating visuals, design features that appear authentic, and claims of having a valid license, all aimed to project an initial image of credibility.

Step 3: Data Gathering

To collect their benefits, users must actively sign up on Musktrades and get guidance to provide sensitive and personal information during the registration process. This comprises linking their cryptocurrency wallets, revealing email addresses, specifying phone numbers, furnishing identification papers, and the like.

Step 4: Requesting funds

Once registered, users witness significant amounts of cryptocurrency, valued at thousands of dollars, within their Musktrades wallets. However, as it usually happens with such rewards, you are unable to withdraw them prior to making a deposit. Typically, a payment of $100 is required to withdraw the sign-up bonus. This stipulation serves as the trap that eventually culminates to the money loss.

Step 5: Disappear

The moment the payment is sent, the scammers terminate all interaction. They proceed to bar users, remove accounts, and vanish with both the submitted money and essential individual information. The fabricated rewards remain perpetually uncredited, as they lack genuine existence. They function solely as a phishing maneuver. This method forms the foundation for the fraudsters’ ability to deceive victims and misappropriate hard-earned funds through their duplicative internet-based crypto scheme.

Signs of Scam

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

  • Absent company details. Musktrades 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 Musktrades 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 Musktrades, 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 Musktrades is a definite scam.

What Should I do as a Victim?

If you had to deal with Musktrades 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 files. Alternatively, they may offer you to deploy “cryptocurrency wallet applications” or “browser extensions” to simplify access to your crypto savings. As we previously determined, these scammers have no plan of restoring your capital. So, what can these emails and browser plugins represent? You guessed – that is another side of the deceptive plan designed to entice you into deliberately running malicious applications onto your system.

Both plugins and files added to email messages can serve as a shell for different malicious software. In this case, I anticipate the presence of spyware and stealers among other kinds of malware. While it is not obligatory for scammers to distribute malware, the probability is always existent. As previously mentioned, their conscience is of no concern, and their dignity is already neck deep in mud. They have no scruples to lose and strive to maximize profits.

Remove spyware with Gridinsoft Anti-Malware

We have also been using this software on our systems ever since, and it has always been successful in detecting viruses. It has blocked the most common malicious programs as shown from our tests with the software, and we assure you that it can remove spyware as well as other malware hiding on your computer.

Gridinsoft Anti-Malware - Main Screen

To use Gridinsoft for remove malicious threats, follow the steps below:

1. Begin by downloading Gridinsoft Anti-Malware, accessible via the blue button below or directly from the official website gridinsoft.com.

2.Once the Gridinsoft setup file (setup-gridinsoft-fix.exe) is downloaded, execute it by clicking on the file.

setup-gridinsoft-fix.exe

3.Follow the installation setup wizard's instructions diligently.

Gridinsoft Setup Wizard

4. Access the "Scan Tab" on the application's start screen and launch a comprehensive "Full Scan" to examine your entire computer. This inclusive scan encompasses the memory, startup items, the registry, services, drivers, and all files, ensuring that it detects malware hidden in all possible locations.

Scan for spyware malicious programs

Be patient, as the scan duration depends on the number of files and your computer's hardware capabilities. Use this time to relax or attend to other tasks.

5. Upon completion, Anti-Malware will present a detailed report containing all the detected malicious items and threats on your PC.

The spyware was Found

6. Select all the identified items from the report and confidently click the "Clean Now" button. This action will safely remove the malicious files from your computer, transferring them to the secure quarantine zone of the anti-malware program to prevent any further harmful actions.

The spyware has been removed

8. If prompted, restart your computer to finalize the full system scan procedure. This step is crucial to ensure thorough removal of any remaining threats. After the restart, Gridinsoft Anti-Malware will open and display a message confirming the completion of the scan.

Remember Gridinsoft offers a 6-day free trial. This means you can take advantage of the trial period at no cost to experience the full benefits of the software and prevent any future malware infections on your system. Embrace this opportunity to fortify your computer's security without any financial commitment.

Trojan Killer for “spyware” removal on locked PC

In situations where it becomes impossible to download antivirus applications directly onto the infected computer due to malware blocking access to websites, an alternative solution is to utilize the Trojan Killer application.

Trojan Killer - Main View

There is a really little number of security tools that are able to be set up on the USB drives, and antiviruses that can do so in most cases require to obtain quite an expensive license. For this instance, I can recommend you to use another solution of GridinSoft - Trojan Killer Portable. It has a 14-days cost-free trial mode that offers the entire features of the paid version. This term will definitely be 100% enough to wipe malware out.

Trojan Killer is a valuable tool in your cybersecurity arsenal, helping you to effectively remove malware from infected computers. Now, we will walk you through the process of using Trojan Killer from a USB flash drive to scan and remove malware on an infected PC. Remember, always obtain permission to scan and remove malware from a computer that you do not own.

Step 1: Download & Install Trojan Killer on a Clean Computer:

1. Go to the official GridinSoft website (gridinsoft.com) and download Trojan Killer to a computer that is not infected.

Download Trojan Killer

2. Insert a USB flash drive into this computer.

3. Install Trojan Killer to the "removable drive" following the on-screen instructions.

Install Trojan Killer to Removable Drive

4. Once the installation is complete, launch Trojan Killer.

Step 2: Update Signature Databases:

5. After launching Trojan Killer, ensure that your computer is connected to the Internet.

6. Click "Update" icon to download the latest signature databases, which will ensure the tool can detect the most recent threats.

Click Update Button

Step 3: Scan the Infected PC:

7. Safely eject the USB flash drive from the clean computer.

8. Boot the infected computer to the Safe Mode.

9. Insert the USB flash drive.

10. Run tk.exe

11. Once the program is open, click on "Full Scan" to begin the malware scanning process.

Searching spyware Virus

Step 4: Remove Found Threats:

12. After the scan is complete, Trojan Killer will display a list of detected threats.

Searching spyware Finished

13. Click on "Cure PC!" to remove the identified malware from the infected PC.

14. Follow any additional on-screen prompts to complete the removal process.

Restart needed

Step 5: Restart Your Computer:

15. Once the threats are removed, click on "Restart PC" to reboot your computer.

16. Remove the USB flash drive from the infected computer.

Congratulations on effectively removing spyware and the concealed threats from your computer! You can now have peace of mind, knowing that they won't resurface again. Thanks to Gridinsoft's capabilities and commitment to cybersecurity, your system is now protected.

Frequently asked questions

Is there any real info on Musktrades site?

The vast majority of information posted on the Musktrades 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.

Are the Musktrades site promices real?

No, there is no legitimate information on the Musktrades 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.

Is there any way to recover my lost funds from Musktrades scam?

Unfortunately, recovering funds lost to a scam like Musktrades 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.

How to spot crypto trading scams in the future?

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:

  1. Too Good to Be True Promises. Be cautious of offers that promise unrealistically high returns or guaranteed profits. If an investment opportunity sounds too good to be true, it likely is.
  2. Pressure to Act Quickly. Scammers often use tactics like creating a sense of urgency to pressure you into making quick decisions. Legitimate investments allow you time to research and consider your options.
  3. Lack of Regulation or Licensing. Check if the platform or service is regulated and licensed by relevant authorities. Scammers often operate without proper authorization.
  4. Social Proof and Celebrity Endorsements: Be skeptical of endorsements from celebrities or public figures. Scammers often fabricate endorsements to gain credibility.
  5. Check for Reviews and Feedback: Look for independent reviews and feedback from other traders. Scammers may fabricate positive reviews, but negative reviews can provide valuable insights.

What should I do as a victim of a Musktrades.com scam?

If you have become a victim of a Musktrades 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:

  • Notify Cryptocurrency Exchanges. Should you have employed a cryptocurrency exchange for transactions linked to the scam, inform the exchange about the fraudulent activity. In certain cases, they could extend their assistance.
  • Contact Financial Institutions. If you conducted any payments or deposits through your credit card or bank account, promptly notify your financial institution. They might offer assistance in contesting transactions or initiating chargebacks.
  • Thoroughly Document. Gather and safeguard all pertinent information, including emails, screenshots, transaction records, and any correspondence with the scammers. This documentation holds utmost importance for reporting the scam and seeking assistance.
  • Immediately Halt Communication. Once you recognize that you have fallen victim to a scam, cease all communication with the scammers. Refrain from responding to their emails, messages, or phone calls.
  • 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.
  • Consult Legal Counsel. Seek counsel from a legal expert specialized in fraud or financial matters. They can provide guidance on potential legal avenues for recovering your funds.
  • Inform the Authorities. Lodge an official report with your local law enforcement agency and relevant regulatory bodies within your country. Present them with the amassed evidence. This step instigates investigations and enhances awareness about the scam.
The truth about Musktrades

Name: Musktrades

Description: Cryptocurrency scams continue to increase as digital assets achieve mainstream adoption. A recent example of such a scam involves Musktrades, a fraudulent crypto exchange that entices victims with promises of free crypto giveaways. This detailed article will extensively examine the operations of the Musktrades scam, techniques for recognizing it, and, most crucially, ways to evade becoming a victim.

Operating System: All

Application Category: Crypto Scams

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User Review
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About the author

Daniel Zimmerman

I'm Daniel, a seasoned professional deeply passionate about the realm of security and malware defense. With over a decade of experience in the security industry and a background in writing, I am thrilled to share my expertise through this cybersecurity blog.

Throughout my career, I've had the privilege of working on the front lines of cybersecurity, tirelessly combating emerging threats and safeguarding digital environments. This hands-on experience has allowed me to develop a deep understanding of the ever-evolving landscape of malware and cyber-attacks.

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