Recently, Zelorax.com service popped up, promoting itself as a place where you can safely keep cryptocurrency and other assets. I managed to gather credible supporting information that clearly reveals it is, in truth, a deceptive site.
Despite the promises of the most convenient, trustworthy, and customer-centric service, Zelorax.com does not fulfill any of them. In fact, all this is just a gilded wrap around a blatant scam, which takes your money and never returns them. Any tales about gifts, backing from celebrities etc are absent as well.
Zelorax Scam Overview
Originally, Zelorax poses as a cryptocurrency trading & cryptowallet platform with remarkably low commission fees. Another highlighted selling point for this site is backing from celebrities that are known in the crypto world. Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Vitalii Buterin, Warren Buffet – the site says about being supported by them. To make these claims look real, frauds employ 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 said in the introduction, all this is just a vivid wrap around a transparent scam.
To begin with, Zelorax repeats the layout of multiple similar websites. There are quite a few examples, like Velucea, Globe or Nellcoin. They are entirely identical in terms of graphic elements, with small discrepancies in the webpage header. Other particulars, and at times even crypto wallet addresses, are the same. Probably, all these scam online platforms are managed by the same team of swindrels.
Cryptocurrency Scam Summary
Website | Zelorax.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 Zelorax Scam Works?
Zelorax is a part of a significant cryptocurrency scam scheme that started circulating vividly in 2023. Scammers who stand behind it use various 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 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 start the fraud, criminals create and fill accounts on popular social media platforms. They generally aim at Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Subsequently, the advertising campaign begins. Using bots and sponsored advertisements (when achievable), fraud actors boost the visibility of their fraudulent activities to possible victims. And as I said, crooks do not disdain using generative AI for creating videos with the aforementioned celebrities that promote their scam to the public. To boost the folks even more, deceivers claim the bonus for every user who joins the service immediately.
Users receive an encouragement to sign up, attracted by the promise of receiving crypto benefits valued at hundreds of dollars, all without cost. To augment the attractiveness of the offer, fake claims of cooperation with a celebrity are added. As you may guess, these claims are entirely baseless.
Step 2: Gaining Traffic
Upon following the promotions, victims end up on a page filled with enticing offers. “Crypto starts with Zelorax”, “Your crypto savings are secured with Zelorax, “Start earning with Zelorax – they look rather reliable. To heat up the interest and make the users proceed to step 3, crooks say that obtaining the pledged bonus requires registration. And since nothing questionable happens at this point, unaware users happily proceed – especially as the gift appears to be right behind the corner.
This is the last stage when it is possible to skip the scam without any losses. Before you register using your personal info, crooks will not earn even a penny 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 for registration with bonuses. And all the personal information needed for it – username, email, crypto wallet address – are valuable for user identification. Only by gathering this info 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 promised bonus 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 initiates the final step of the scam.
Step 4: Requesting funds
Eventually, any cryptocurrency purchases require you to have funds on your account. In the case of Zelorax, users are also forced to top up to get the bonuses. And these top ups is what creates the majority of the cash flow to this scam site. By topping up the account, users hope to get the committed gift (usually $500-1000 in USDT), and may start participating on this website hoping to use all the deposited money and withdraw them.
This, however, is where the issues start to surface. When comparing the real crypto wallet vs what the site says, you can spot that no transactions are done whatsoever. And then, when you’d try to pull out the capital 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 give your money back. Though to make the fraud look more realistic, they’ve crafted a whole bunch of reasons to decline the wireout request. Most of them repeat what Know Your Client regulations say, but in this case they are here exclusively to make the wireout impossible.
By requesting your personal info, deceivers just stall hoping for you to accept the loss and stop contacting them. If you don’t – well, there are numerous other checks you should go through before getting your money back. And each of these checks will share more and more info of yours, 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 Zelorax.com. Actually, there are a lot of scams that fall under the same points, so they are pretty much universal.
- Absent company details. Zelorax 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 Zelorax 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 Zelorax, 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 Zelorax is a definite scam.
What Should I do as a Victim?
If you had to deal with Zelorax 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 course of the scam, its actors may get in touch with you with particular files. Alternatively, they may suggest you to deploy “cryptocurrency wallet applications” or “browser extensions” to facilitate access to your cryptocurrency savings. As we previously determined, these scammers have no intent of returning your money. So, what do these messages and browser extensions represent? Correct – that is another component of the fraudulent scheme designed to entice you into willingly running destructive applications onto your computer.
Both extensions and attachments included to emails can serve as a shell for different malicious code. In this situation, I expect the presence of spyware and stealers among all types of malware. While it is not obligatory for scammers to distribute malware, the probability is always significant. As noted, their ethics is of negligible importance, and their reputation is already severely tarnished. They have no scruples to give up and strive to maximize gains.
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Frequently asked questions
The vast majority of information posted on the Zelorax 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 Zelorax 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 Zelorax 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 Zelorax 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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Thoroughly Document the Events. 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.