We Investigated Onyx Goliath Staking: Legit or Scam? The Facts

Recently, Onyx-migration.com website popped up, promoting itself as a place where you can safely store cryptocurrency and other assets. I managed to gather credible proof that clearly indicates it is, in truth, a scam platform.

Despite the promises of the most easy, trustworthy, and customer-centric service, Onyx-migration.com does not offer any of them. All this is just a golden wrap around a clear scam, which takes your money and data and never returns them. Any stories about gifts, endorsement from celebrities etc are nowhere to be found as well.

Onyx Goliath Staking Scam Overview

Originally, Onyx Goliath Staking poses as a crypto trading & cryptowallet service with exceptionally low commission fees. Another highlighted selling point for this site 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, con actors use deepfake videos where those celebrities promote the fake crypto service as if it was the best thing in the world. For known reasons, Elon Musk is the most common choise for that. But, as I said in the introduction, all this is just a glaring wrap around a transparent scam.

Onyx Goliath Staking Scam

Initially, Onyx Goliath Staking repeats the layout of multiple similar pages. There are quite a few examples, like Blockchaindefi, Lumexed or Boddex. They are totally identical in terms of graphic elements, with small discrepancies in the website header. Other particulars, and sometimes even crypto wallet addresses, are the same. Most likely, all these fraudulent sites are managed by the same group of scoundrels.

Cryptocurrency Scam Summary

How the Onyx Goliath Staking Scam Works?

Onyx Goliath Staking is a part of a significant cryptocurrency scam scheme that started circulating vividly in 2023. Swindlers who stand behind it use several website designs, which still share the similar overall layout. Another common 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 start the deceptive scheme, criminals create and fill accounts on popular social media platforms. They mainly focus on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Subsequently, the marketing campaign commences. Using bots and paid advertisements (when possible), scam actors intensify the visibility of their fraudulent activities to potential victims. And as I said, fraudsters do not shy away using generative AI for creating videos with the mentioned celebs that advertise 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 Onyx Goliath Staking in TikTok. Most of these videos are AI-generated deepfakes

Users receive an encouragement to register, drawn by the promise of receiving crypto benefits valued at thousands of dollars, all free of charge. To enhance the appeal of the offer, false suggestions of cooperation with a celebrity are incorporated. As you may guess, these assertions are completely baseless.

Step 2: Gaining Traffic

Upon clicking the promos, victims end up on a page filled with enticing offers. “Crypto starts with Onyx Goliath Staking”, “Your crypto savings are secured with Onyx Goliath Staking, “Start earning with Onyx Goliath Staking – they look rather credible. To heat up the interest and make the users proceed to step 3, scammers say that unlocking the promoted bonus requires registration. And as nothing questionable happens at this point, unexperienced users happily move on – especially since the reward appears to be right behind the corner.

At this point, it is possible to get away from the scam without any losses. Before you register using your personal data, rascals will not be able to earn even a nickel from your presence on the website.

Step 3: Data Gathering

This is the starting poing of the main fraud action. As I just said, scammers bait folks into registration for bonuses. And all the personal info needed for it – email, username, crypto wallet address – is valuable for user identification. Solely by gathering this info and selling it further into the Darknet, fraudsters can earn quite a penny. Still, their plans go much further.

As it turns out, the alleged bonus is not available for withdrawal 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

Eventually, any cryptocurrency purchases require having funds on your account. With Onyx Goliath Staking, users are also forced to top up to claim the bonuses. And this is what creates most of the money flow to this fraudulent site. By topping up the account, users hope to get the pledged gift (usually $500-1000 in USDT), and may start participating on this website hoping to use all the transferred money and withdraw them.

This, however, is where the problems start to surface. When comparing the actual crypto 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 funds from your account, the scam is finally uncovered to the user.

Step 5: Escaping from Funds Withdrawal

Needless to say that scoundrels are naught on intentions to give your money back. Though to make the denial look more realistic, they’ve developed a whole pack of reasons to decline the transfer-out request. Most of them repeat what KYC requirements say, but in this case they are here exclusively to make the wireout impossible.

By requesting your personal data, deceivers 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 reveal 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 Onyx-migration.com. Actually, there are a lot of scams that fall under the same points, so they are pretty much universal.

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

What Should I do as a Victim?

If you had to deal with Onyx Goliath Staking 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 duration of the scam, fraudsters may contact you with specific documents. Alternatively, they may propose you to deploy “cryptocurrency wallet applications” or “browser extensions” to simplify access to your crypto funds. As we previously determined, these scoundrels have no plan of returning your capital. So, what can these emails and browser add-ons represent? Correct – that is another side of the scam designed to entice you into deliberately running destructive programs onto your computer.

Both plugins and files included to emails can serve as a carrier for different malicious software. In this situation, I anticipate the presence of spyware and stealers among all types of malware. While it is not mandatory for scammers to distribute malware, the likelihood is always greater than zero. As previously mentioned, their ethics is of negligible importance, and their dignity is already neck deep in mud. They have no principles to give up and aim to maximize gains.

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