Recently, Safefox.pro website surfaced, promoting itself as a platform where you can safely keep cryptocurrency and other assets. I managed to gather credible evidence that unmistakably reveals it is, in fact, a fraudulent site.
Regardless of the promises of the most convenient, reliable, and customer-centric service, Safefox.pro does not fulfill any of them. All this is just a golden wrap around a blatant scam, which steals your money and never returns them. Any tales about gifts, endorsement from celebrities etc are nowhere to be found as well.
Safefox Scam Overview
Originally, Safefox poses as a cryptocurrency trading & cryptowallet platform with outstandingly low commission fees. Another bright selling point for this platform is backing from celebrities that have relation to the crypto world. Warren Buffet, Elon Musk, Vitalii Buterin, Jeff Bezos – the site claims having significant support from them. To make these claims look more realistic, frauds use deepfake videos where those celebrities promote 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 a transparent scam.
Safefox Scam
To begin with, Safefox copies the appearance of numerous similar websites. There are quite a few examples, like Byteforgey, Zcetherc or Iw. They are entirely indistinguishable in terms of graphic elements, with slight discrepancies in the webpage header. Other specific elements, and at times even crypto wallet addresses, are identical. Probably, all these scam websites are operated by the same group of fraudsters.
Cryptocurrency Scam Summary
| Website | Safefox.pro |
| Hosting | AS14061 DigitalOcean, LLC United States, North Bergen |
| IP Address | 167.172.139.227 |
| Threat Type | Scam/Fraud |
| Scam Type | Fraudulent offers of cryptocurrency services |
How the Safefox Scam Works?
Safefox is a part of a extensive cryptocurrency scam scheme that started circulating actively in 2023. Scammers 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 initiate the scam, criminals create and fill accounts on popular social media platforms. They primarily aim at Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Subsequently, the marketing campaign starts. Utilizing bots and paid promotions (when achievable), fraud actors increase the exposure of their scam activities to potential victims. And as I said, crooks do not shy away using generative AI for creating clips with the mentioned celebs that promote their scam to the public. To boost the folks even more, frauds claim the bonus for every user who registers the service immediately.
Promotions of cryptoscams like Safefox in TikTok. Most of these videos are AI-generated deepfakes
Step 2: Gaining Traffic
After following the promotions, victims end up on a page filled with enticing offers. “Crypto starts with Safefox”, “Your crypto savings are secured with Safefox, “Start earning with Safefox – they look rather authoritative. To heat up the interest and make the users proceed to step 3, scammers say that retrieving the promised bonus requires registration. And as nothing concerning happens at this point, uninformed users happily proceed – especially as the reward appears to be right behind the corner.
At this point, it is possible to skip the scam without any losses. Before you register using your personal info, swindrels 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, deceivers bait folks for registration with bonuses. And all the personal info needed for it – username, email, cryptocurrency wallet address – are valuable for user identification. Only by gathering this information and selling it further into the Darknet, fraudsters can earn quite a penny. Still, their plans go much further.
As it turns out, you cannot use the alleged bonus right away. To make it at least usable for crypto purchases, the user should top up the account with the equivalent sum. At this point, the final stage of the scam kicks in.
Step 4: Requesting funds
Eventually, any crypto purchases require having funds on your account. In the case of Safefox, users are also forced to top up to use the bonuses. And these top ups is what creates the majority of the money flow to this fraudulent website. 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, however, is where the first obvious problems start to surface. When comparing the actual crypto wallet vs what the site says, you can observe that no transactions are done whatsoever. And then, when you’d try to retrieve 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 send you money. But to make it look more legitimate, they’ve developed a whole pack of reasons to decline the wireout request. Most of them repeat what KYC requirements say, but for the Safefox.pro they are here exclusively to make the withdrawal impossible.
By asking for your personal info, scammers just stall hoping for you to understand that you’ve been scammed and stop contacting them. If you don’t – well, there are numerous other checks you would desperately need to undergo before getting your money back. And every check will share 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 Safefox.pro. Actually, there are a lot of scams that fall under the same points, so they are pretty much universal.
- Unsubstantiated Credibility. Safefox 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%, Safefox exploits the longing for quick profits. However, such gains are unrealistic within the volatile cryptocurrency landscape, unequivocally identifying Safefox as a scam.
- Dubious Corporate Information. Safefox 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. Safefox.pro 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. Safefox 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 Safefox 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 masters may get in touch with you with specific files. Alternatively, they may propose you to set up “cryptocurrency wallet applications” or “browser extensions” to facilitate access to your crypto savings. As we already figured out, these scoundrels have no intention of restoring your funds. So, what do these emails and browser extensions represent? You guessed it right – this is another element of the fraudulent scheme designed to throw you into deliberately running destructive applications onto your computer.
Both extensions and files added to emails can function as a carrier for different malicious software. In this scenario, I foresee the presence of spyware and stealers among other forms of malware. While it is not obligatory for scammers to distribute malware, the probability is always existent. As stated, their conscience is of no concern, and their dignity is already deeply compromised. They have no principles to lose and strive to boost profits.
