Recently, Trademusk.com website appeared, promoting itself as a place to store cryptocurrency and other assets safely. I managed to gather reliable proof that clearly indicates it is, in fact, a fraudulent platform.
Contrary to the claims of Trademusk.com, they won’t ever give back your money. Even though the money displayed in the “member area”, there is no ability to retrieve even a single cent. All commitments regarding crypto bonuses are empty as well.
TradeMusk Scam Overview
The primary offering that TradeMusk strives to provide is a protected and user-friendly crypto wallet service. The website promises exchange services, tools for controlling wallets, transfers, dashboards, and similar stuff. In reality, they endeavor to emulate the functionality of a crypto trading platform, like Binance or Coinbase. However, it in actuality only serves as a shell needed to mislead the cautious.
Initially, TradeMusk mimics the layout of multiple equivalent pages. There are quite a few examples, like Konbix, Coinepex or Bitdexpay. They are entirely identical in terms of visual elements, with minor discrepancies in the webpage header. Other particulars, and at times even crypto wallet addresses, are identical. Probably, all these deceptive sites are operated by a single gang of swindrels.
Cryptocurrency Scam Summary
| Website | Trademusk.com |
| Hosting | AS13335 Cloudflare, Inc. United States, San Francisco |
| IP Address | 188.114.96.3 |
| Threat Type | Scam/Fraud |
| Scam Type | Fraudulent offers of cryptocurrency services |
How the TradeMusk Scam Works?
TradeMusk is yet another online platform within a vast network of interconnected crypto scam webpages. The managers utilize various brand titles and sites, like Trademusk.com, to ensnare victims. Nevertheless, these false websites share the same designs, terms of service, and About Us content. This exposes their sources as components of the same criminal network, which advocates the same form of deception under different disguises. The fraudsters merely copy the equal scam website under various names to deceive users into believing they are enrolling a fresh platform. However, in actuality, it’s the same group of fraudsters orchestrating the fraudulent promises and attempts to grab deposited funds. The administrators cleverly employ psychological maneuvers and captivating offers to execute their deceitful plots.
Step 1: Spreading
To start the deceptive scheme, criminals set up and fill accounts on well-liked social media platforms. They generally focus on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Subsequently, the marketing campaign starts. Using bots and sponsored promotions (when achievable), fraud actors intensify the visibility of their fraudulent activities to possible victims. This tactic permits them to cast a broad net and connect with their targeted audience. The latter usually comprises of cryptocurrency enthusiastic individuals searching for opportunities to earn profits.
Step 2: Gaining Traffic
People who express interest go to Trademusk.com via links featured in ads or robotic posts. The website utilizes captivating visuals, design aspects that appear authentic, and claims of having a valid license, all intended to project an initial image of reliability.
Step 3: Data Gathering
To collect their benefits, users must proactively set up an account on TradeMusk and receive guidance to submit sensitive and private information during the sign-up procedure. This includes linking their cryptocurrency wallets, sharing email addresses, giving phone numbers, furnishing identification papers, and more.
Step 4: Requesting funds
Once enrolled, users notice significant amounts of cryptocurrency, valued at hundreds of dollars, within their TradeMusk wallets. Nonetheless, as is standard with such bonuses, you can’t withdraw them before making a deposit. Normally, a deposit of $100 is asked to access the sign-up bonus. This prerequisite serves as the trap that ultimately results to the money loss.
Step 5: Disappear
The point in time the deposit is submitted, the scammers terminate all communication. They proceed to restrict users, delete accounts, and abscond with both the deposited capital and critical individual information. The fictitious prizes persist perpetually uncredited, as they lack actual existence. They operate purely as a deceptive strategy. This technique forms the foundation for the fraudsters’ capacity to mislead victims and embezzle hard-earned funds through their deceptive online crypto fraud.
Signs of Scam
I gathered several facts that point at the scammy nature of the Trademusk.com. Actually, there are a lot of scams that fall under the same points, so they are pretty much universal.
- False Celebrity Sponsorship. TradeMusk often resorts to fake endorsements from celebrities such as Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mr. Beast, and Mark Zuckerberg. This fraudulent tactic extends to claiming partnerships with reputable companies like Coinbase, Binance, or MetaMask, despite lacking any genuine affiliations.
- Cryptocurrency-Only Payments. Trademusk.com exclusively accepts payments in cryptocurrencies, rejecting traditional bank transfers and other methods. This approach not only masks the company’s identity but also eliminates the possibility of seeking refunds.
- Dubious Company Information. TradeMusk raises suspicion by withholding essential ownership, location, and registration details. Furthermore, the absence of legitimate contact information and the recent establishment of domain and social media pages intensify skepticism.
- Unsubstantiated Hype. Trademusk.com employs groundless hype tactics, fabricating events like securing contracts with Coinbase or receiving endorsements from Elon Musk. These manipulative techniques aim to instill false confidence and encourage further investments.
- Potential Pyramid Scheme. The scam relies on a structure resembling a Ponzi scheme, leveraging a referral system spread through social media. However, only initial participants benefit, often at the expense of subsequent investors.
- Implausible Claims. Promising returns of 50-100-200%, TradeMusk preys on the desire for quick profits. Yet, the volatile nature of the cryptocurrency market makes such gains highly unlikely, definitively labeling TradeMusk as a scam.
What Should I do as a Victim?
If you had to deal with TradeMusk 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 the scam to authorities. Search for local authorities responsible for financial frauds, and also notify wallet providers and social networks via their tech support. It is essential to make the further operations of these scammers much harder.
- Tell your close friends. That step is similar to reporting to the authorities, and has similar effects. By posting info about scam crypto service, you decrease the pool of people they can fool.
- Get evidence. Screenshot or save all the information related to the website. URL, screenshot of a main page, login window, EULA, account top-up menu, wallet addresses – all these things may be useful for authorities to find the scammers.
- Check whether you can ask for a refund. As I’ve said above, crypto payments do not fall under refund policies in most banks. Nonetheless, in some circumstances, it is still possible. Never lose hope until you actually confirm it is gone.
- Make your mistake your lesson. Financial losses are always a reason for frustration, but let’s imagine it was a pay for scam revealing courses. Remember the key features of these crypto scam sites, the way they attract people and what they promise. In the future, you will easily recognize a trap of spending no money.
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 timeline of the scam, its actors may get in touch with you with specific files. Alternatively, they may offer you to set up “cryptocurrency wallet applications” or “browser extensions” to simplify access to your cryptocurrency funds. As we previously determined, these rascals have no intention of restoring your money. So, what do these emails and browser add-ons represent? You guessed it right – that is another side of the fraudulent scheme designed to throw you into deliberately installing malicious programs onto your computer.
Both plugins and files included to email messages can serve as a carrier for diverse malicious code. In this situation, I foresee the presence of spyware and stealers among other types of malware. While it is not mandatory for scammers to distribute malware, the probability is always existent. As previously mentioned, their morality is of negligible importance, and their reputation is already seriously marred. They have no scruples to give up and aim to maximize profits.
Frequently asked questions
- Contact your bank or card provider and ask about chargeback options.
- Save screenshots, receipts, tracking numbers, and emails as evidence.
- Change reused passwords and enable two-factor authentication on important accounts.
- Watch for follow-up phishing emails pretending to offer refunds or delivery updates.
