Recently, Wopnex.com website popped up, promoting itself as a platform where you can safely keep cryptocurrency and other assets. I managed to gather credible evidence that unmistakably confirms it is, in fact, a deceptive service.
Despite the promises of the most easy, reliable, and customer-centric service, Wopnex.com does not follow any of them. All this is just a golden wrap around a clear scam, which takes your funds and never returns them. Any stories about bonuses, endorsement from celebrities etc are non-existent as well.
Wopnex Scam Overview
Originally, Wopnex poses as a crypto trading & cryptowallet platform with outstandingly low commission fees. Another bright marketing point for this site is partnerships with celebrities that have relation to the crypto world. Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Vitalii Buterin, Warren Buffet – the site claims having significant support from them. To make these claims look real, rascals use AI-generated videos with those celebs advertise the fraud as the best thing in the world. For obvious reasons, Elon Musk is the most common choise for that. But, as I mentioned above, all this is just a blatant wrap around a transparent scam.
First and foremost, Wopnex repeats the design of many equivalent websites. There are quite a few examples, like Tebrex, Sorkex or Robycoin. They are entirely indistinguishable in terms of visual elements, with minor discrepancies in the website header. Other specific elements, and sometimes even crypto wallet addresses, are identical. Probably, all these scam online platforms are managed by a single group of frauds.
Cryptocurrency Scam Summary
Website | Wopnex.com |
Hosting | AS13335 Cloudflare, Inc. United States, San Francisco |
IP Address | 104.21.32.2 |
Threat Type | Scam/Fraud |
Scam Type | Fraudulent offers of cryptocurrency services |
How the Wopnex Scam Works?
Wopnex is a part of a large 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 complex psychological tricks that make the user believe in the authenticity of the website. But let’s review them one by one.
Step 1: Promotion
To begin the scam, criminals set up and fill accounts on well-liked social media platforms. They mainly focus on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Subsequently, the promotional campaign starts. Employing bots and paid ads (when achievable), fraud actors boost the exposure of their scam activities to possible victims. And as I said, scammers do not shy away using generative AI for creating clips with the aforementioned celebrities 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.
Users receive an encouragement to enroll, enticed by the commitment of obtaining cryptocurrency benefits valued at hundreds of dollars, all without cost. To increase the appeal of the offer, fake suggestions of sponsorship by a celebrity are incorporated. As you may guess, these claims are completely baseless.
Step 2: Gaining Traffic
After following the ads, targets end up on a page filled with appealing offers. “Crypto starts with Wopnex”, “Your crypto savings are secured with Wopnex, “Start earning with Wopnex – they look rather reliable. To heat up the interest and make the users proceed to step 3, fraudsters say that getting the promoted bonus requires registration. And as nothing suspicious happens at this point, unaware users happily keep on – especially as the gift appears to be right behind the corner.
At this point, it is possible to get away from the scam without any losses. Before you sign up using your personal information, crooks 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 mentioned, scammers bait folks into signing up to get bonuses. And all the personal information needed for it – username, email, crypto wallet address – is valuable for user identification. Solely by gathering this data and selling it further into the Darknet, crooks can earn quite a penny. Nonetheless, their plans go much further.
As it turns out, the alleged bonus is not available for withdrawal right away. To make it at least usable for crypto purchases, you need to top up the account with the sum of a bonus. And this is what starts the final step of the scam.
Step 4: Requesting funds
Eventually, any crypto operations require you to have funds on your account. With Wopnex, users are also coerced to top up to get the bonuses. And these top ups is what creates the majority of the money flow to this fraudulent site. By topping up the account, users hope to get the committed gift (usually $500-1000 in USDT), and may start participating on this site hoping to use all the transferred money and withdraw them.
This is where the first obvious issues start to surface. When keeping an eye on the real 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 money from your account, the scam is finally uncovered to the user.
Step 5: Escaping from Funds Withdrawal
There’s no need to explain that swindlers have 0 intentions to give your money back. Though to make the denial look more realistic, they’ve made up a whole bunch of reasons to decline the transfer-out request. Most of them repeat what KYC guidelines say, but in this case they are here exclusively to make the withdrawal impossible.
By asking for your personal information, scammers 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 should go through before getting your grand back. And each of these checks will uncover more and more info of yours, which – you guessed it right – will be then marketed 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 Wopnex.com. Actually, there are a lot of scams that fall under the same points, so they are pretty much universal.
- False Celebrity Sponsorship. Wopnex 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. Wopnex.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. Wopnex 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. Wopnex.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%, Wopnex preys on the desire for quick profits. Yet, the volatile nature of the cryptocurrency market makes such gains highly unlikely, definitively labeling Wopnex as a scam.
What Should I do as a Victim?
If you had to deal with Wopnex 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 scam, its masters may contact you with particular documents. Alternatively, they may suggest you to install “cryptocurrency wallet applications” or “browser extensions” to facilitate access to your crypto assets. As we earlier figured out, these scoundrels have no intent of giving back your money. So, what can these emails and browser add-ons represent? You guessed – that is another side of the scam designed to throw you into willingly installing malicious applications onto your computer.
Both plugins and attachments added to emails can act as a shell for different malicious software. In this case, I foresee the presence of spyware and stealers among all forms of malware. While it is not obligatory for scammers to distribute malware, the chance is always existent. As previously mentioned, their conscience is of little concern, and their dignity is already deeply compromised. They have no principles to lose and strive to boost gains.
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Frequently asked questions
The vast majority of information posted on the Wopnex 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 Wopnex 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 Wopnex 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:
- Scrutinize Celebrity Endorsements. Be cautious of endorsements from celebrities or public figures. Scammers often fabricate endorsements to gain credibility.
- Resist Urgency. Watch out for tactics that create a sense of urgency to pressure quick decisions. Legitimate investments offer time for research and consideration.
- Consult Reviews and Feedback. Look for independent reviews and feedback from fellow traders. Scammers may create fake positive reviews, but negative reviews can provide valuable insights.
- Question Unrealistic Promises. Be skeptical of offers promising unrealistically high returns or guaranteed profits. If an investment opportunity seems too good to be true, it likely is.
- Verify Regulation and Licensing. Check if the platform or service is regulated and licensed by relevant authorities. Scammers often operate without proper authorization.
If you have become a victim of a Wopnex 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.