The Xelurex Scam – What You Need To Know

Recently, Xelurex.com website popped up, promoting itself as a place where you can securely store cryptocurrency and other assets. I managed to gather credible evidence that clearly reveals it is, actually, a scam site.

Regardless of the promises of the most easy, trustworthy, and customer-centric service, Xelurex.com does not fulfill any of them. All this is just a shiny wrap around a dirty scam, which takes your funds and never returns them. Any stories about bonuses, endorsement from celebrities etc are non-existent as well.

Xelurex Scam Overview

Originally, Xelurex poses as a cryptocurrency trading & cryptowallet platform with remarkably 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 claims having significant support from them. To make these claims look more realistic, con actors employ deepfake videos with those celebs advertise the scam 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 an obvious scam.

Xelurex Scam

Initially, Xelurex shares the appearance of multiple similar websites. There are quite a few examples, like Xaelonex, Wikrex or Zelunor. They are entirely identical in terms of visual elements, with small discrepancies in the site header. Other details, and at times even crypto wallet addresses, are identical. Most likely, all these scam sites are led by a single group of scammers.

Cryptocurrency Scam Summary

How the Xelurex Scam Works?

Xelurex is a part of a extensive cryptocurrency scam scheme that started circulating actively in 2023. Scammers who stand behind it use numerous website designs, which still share the same 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 validity of the website. But let’s review them one by one.

Step 1: Promotion

To initiate the scam, criminals set up and fill accounts on well-liked social media platforms. They primarily focus on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Subsequently, the advertising campaign commences. Utilizing bots and paid ads (when possible), fraud actors boost the presence of their deceptive activities to possible victims. And as I said, scammers do not shy away using generative AI for creating videos with the mentioned celebrities that advertise their scam to the public. To boost the folks even more, deceivers claim the bonus for every user who registers the service immediately.

Promotions of cryptoscams like Xelurex in TikTok. Most of these videos are AI-generated deepfakes

Users obtain a stimulus to enroll, enticed by the commitment of receiving crypto prizes valued at hundreds of dollars, all without cost. To enhance the appeal of the offer, fake suggestions of cooperation with a celebrity are added. As you may guess, these claims are entirely baseless.

Step 2: Gaining Traffic

After clicking the promotions, victims end up on a page filled with appealing offers. “Crypto starts with Xelurex”, “Your crypto savings are secured with Xelurex, “Start earning with Xelurex – they look rather authoritative. To heat up the interest and make the users proceed to step 3, crooks say that obtaining the promoted bonus requires registration. And as nothing suspicious happens at this point, unexperienced users happily move on – especially as the gift appears to be right behind the corner.

At this point, it is possible to steer away from the scam without any losses. Before you sign up using your personal info, frauds will not 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 signing up for bonuses. And all the personal info needed for it – email, username, cryptocurrency wallet address – is valuable for user identification. Only by gathering this data and selling it further into the Darknet, swindlers can earn quite a penny. Nonetheless, their plans go much further.

As it turns out, you cannot use the alleged bonus right away. To make at least cryptocurrency purchases on the platform with it, you need to top up the account with the equivalent sum. And this is what starts the final step of the scam.

Step 4: Requesting funds

Obviously, any crypto purchases require having money on your account. In the case of Xelurex, users are also coerced to top up to claim the bonuses. And this is what creates the majority of the cash flow to this scam website. By topping up the account, users hope to get the promised gift (usually $500-1000 in USDT), and may start trading on this website hoping to use all the credited money and withdraw them.

This is where the victim notices the issues. When comparing the actual cryptocurrency wallet vs what the website 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 scoundrels are naught on intentions to give your money back. Though to make it look more realistic, they’ve made up a whole bunch of reasons to decline the wireout request. Usually, they repeat what Know Your Client guidelines say, but for the Xelurex.com they are here exclusively to make the wireout impossible.

By asking for your personal info, 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 should go through before getting your funds back. And each of these checks will uncover more and more information, 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 Xelurex.com. Actually, there are a lot of scams that fall under the same points, so they are pretty much universal.

• Absent company details. Xelurex 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 Xelurex 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 Xelurex, 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 Xelurex is a definite scam.

What Should I do as a Victim?

If you had to deal with Xelurex 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 timeline of the fraud, its actors may reach out to you with specific files. Alternatively, they may propose you to set up “cryptocurrency wallet applications” or “browser extensions” to facilitate access to your cryptocurrency assets. As we previously determined, these rascals have no intent of giving back your funds. So, what can these emails and browser plugins represent? You guessed – this is another element of the fraudulent scheme designed to throw you into willingly running harmful programs onto your device.

Both add-ons and files included to email messages can function as a shell for diverse malware. In this scenario, I anticipate the presence of spyware and stealers among other kinds of malware. While it is not mandatory for scammers to distribute malware, the chance is always above zero. As stated, their ethics is of little concern, and their reputation is already deeply compromised. They have no principles to give up and aim to maximize profits.

Frequently asked questions