Recently, Usotex.com website surfaced, promoting itself as a place where you can safely keep cryptocurrency and other assets. I managed to gather reliable evidence that clearly confirms it is, in fact, a scam platform.
Regardless of the promises of the most convenient, reliable, and client-friendly service, Usotex.com does not fulfill any of them. In fact, all this is just a gilded wrap around a blatant scam, which steals your money and never returns them. Any stories about bonuses, sponsorship from celebrities etc are absent as well.
Usotex Scam Overview
Originally, Usotex poses as a cryptocurrency trading & cryptowallet platform with remarkably low commission fees. Another highlighted selling point for this site is partnerships with celebrities that have relation to the crypto world. Warren Buffet, Elon Musk, Vitalii Buterin, Jeff Bezos – the site says about being supported by them. To make these claims look real, con actors use AI-generated videos with those celebs advertise the fake crypto service as the best thing in the world. For known reasons, Elon Musk is the most common choise for that. But, as I mentioned above, all this is just a glaring wrap around a transparent scam.
Initially, Usotex repeats the appearance of numerous equivalent online platforms. There are quite a few examples, like Doxespace, Veloriya or Korwex. They are completely identical in terms of visual elements, with minor discrepancies in the site header. Other particulars, and at times even crypto wallet addresses, are matching. Probably, all these scam websites are led by a single team of scoundrels.
Cryptocurrency Scam Summary
Website | Usotex.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 Usotex Scam Works?
Usotex is a part of a large cryptocurrency scam scheme that started circulating actively in 2023. Rascals who stand behind it use numerous website designs, which still share the identical overall layout. Another mutual 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 well-liked social media platforms. They primarily focus on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Subsequently, the promotional campaign commences. Employing bots and sponsored promotions (when possible), scam actors intensify the visibility of their scam activities to potential victims. And as I said, fraudsters do not disdain using deepfake 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 registers the service immediately.
![Cryptoscam ads TIkTok](https://howtofix.guide/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/tt-cryptoscam-ads.webp)
Promotions of cryptoscams like Usotex in TikTok. Most of these videos are AI-generated deepfakes
Users obtain an incentive to sign up, enticed by the assurance of obtaining crypto rewards valued at thousands of dollars, all without cost. To increase the attractiveness of the offer, fake suggestions of sponsorship by a celebrity are added. As you may guess, these claims are entirely baseless.
Step 2: Gaining Traffic
After following the promotions, users end up on a page filled with enticing offers. “Crypto starts with Usotex”, “Your crypto savings are secured with Usotex, “Start earning with Usotex – they look rather reliable. To heat up the interest and make the users proceed to step 3, scammers say that unlocking the promised bonus requires registration. And since nothing questionable happens at this point, uninformed users happily proceed – 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 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 – is valuable for user identification. Solely by gathering this information and selling it further into the Darknet, swindlers can earn quite a penny. Still, their plans go much further.
As it turns out, the claimed bonus is not available for withdrawal right away. To make at least crypto purchases on the platform with it, you need to top up the account with the sum of a bonus. At this point, the final stage of the scam begins.
Step 4: Requesting funds
Eventually, any crypto operations require you to have funds on your account. In the case of Usotex, users are also forced to top up to get the bonuses. And these top ups is what creates most of the cash flow to this fraudulent website. By topping up the account, users hope to get the promised gift (usually $500-1000 in USDT), and may start participating on this site hoping to use all the deposited money and withdraw them.
This is where the victim notices the problems. When keeping an eye on 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 withdraw the capital 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 send you money. Though to make the denial look more realistic, they’ve made up a whole pack of reasons to decline the withdrawal request. Usually, they repeat what Know Your Client regulations say, but in this case they are here only to make the withdrawal impossible.
By requesting your personal data, scammers just stall hoping for you to accept the loss and stop contacting them. If you don’t – well, there are multiple other checks you should go through before getting your money back. And every check will reveal more and more info of yours, which – you guessed it right – will be then traded 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 Usotex.com. Actually, there are a lot of scams that fall under the same points, so they are pretty much universal.
- Absent company details. Usotex 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 Usotex 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 Usotex, 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 Usotex is a definite scam.
What Should I do as a Victim?
If you had to deal with Usotex 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 to Authorities. Your initial action should involve reporting the scam to local authorities responsible for addressing financial fraud. Additionally, reach out to wallet providers and engage with the technical support teams of social networks. This collective effort raises the bar for the scammers’ operations.
- Inform Your Inner Circle. Extend your impact by sharing information about the scam with your close friends. Similar to notifying authorities, this dissemination of details curbs the scammers’ potential to deceive.
- Document the Trail. Assemble a comprehensive record by capturing screenshots and archiving all relevant website-related data. This encompasses the website URL, screenshots of the main page, login interface, end-user license agreement (EULA), account top-up menu, and wallet addresses. These materials offer invaluable leads for authorities in their pursuit of the scammers.
- Explore Refund Possibilities. While cryptocurrency payments may not typically align with traditional bank refund policies, it’s worthwhile to explore potential refund avenues under specific circumstances. Maintain a positive outlook until you secure confirmation of the loss.
- Transform Loss into Insight. Shift your focus from the financial loss to gaining wisdom. Consider your loss as an investment in comprehending the tactics employed by crypto scam sites. Familiarize yourself with their distinctive traits, the methods they employ to entice individuals, and the extravagant pledges they make. This knowledge equips you to recognize and avoid future traps, minimizing the risk of enduring further 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, fraudsters may contact you with particular documents. Alternatively, they may propose you to install “cryptocurrency wallet applications” or “browser extensions” to facilitate access to your crypto assets. As we previously determined, these deceivers have no plan of giving back your funds. So, what do these messages and browser add-ons represent? Correct – this is another component of the deceptive plan designed to entice you into willingly installing harmful programs onto your computer.
Both extensions and files added to emails can act as a shell for different malicious code. In this situation, I expect the presence of spyware and stealers among other types of malicious programs. While it is not mandatory for scammers to distribute malware, the chance is always above zero. As noted, their morality is of negligible importance, and their dignity is already deeply compromised. They have no principles to give up and aim to boost revenues.
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![Gridinsoft Anti-Malware - Main Screen](/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/gsam-main.webp)
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![setup-gridinsoft-fix.exe](/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/setup-gridinsoft-fix-file.png)
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![Gridinsoft Setup Wizard](/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/gridinsoft-setup-wizard.webp)
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![Scan for spyware malicious programs](/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/gsam-scan-1.webp)
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.
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![The spyware was Found](/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/gsam-scan-finished.webp)
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![The spyware has been removed](/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/gsam-removal.webp)
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Frequently asked questions
The vast majority of information posted on the Usotex 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.
No, there is no legitimate information on the Usotex 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.
Unfortunately, recovering funds lost to a scam like Usotex 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.
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- Lack of Regulation or Licensing. Check if the platform or service is regulated and licensed by relevant authorities. Scammers often operate without proper authorization.
- Social Proof and Celebrity Endorsements: Be skeptical of endorsements from celebrities or public figures. Scammers often fabricate endorsements to gain credibility.
- 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.
If you have become a victim of a Usotex 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.