Defend Against Cybercrime with the Power of Community

Web3 Scam Trends: What Thousands of Community Reports Reveal — And How to Stay Safe

Web3 Scam Trends: What Thousands of Community Reports Reveal — And How to Stay SafeAs Web3 grows, so do the scams. Phishing links, fake dApps, and wallet-draining contracts are more sophisticated than ever. But thanks to the ChainBounty community, we now have a clearer picture of what to watch for.Based on hundreds of real user reports submitted at ChainBounty, here are the most common scam types — and how to protect yourself.1. Fake dApps & Clone SitesWhat happens:Scammers copy real platforms like Uniswap, Blur, or MetaMask and host fake versions under misleading domains. Once users connect their wallets, the fake dApp initiates unauthorized transactions.How to stay safe:Always check the domain name carefully.Bookmark official sites.Use browser plugins like ChainBounty Alerts (coming soon) to auto-flag risky domains.Report suspicious URLs at ChainBounty Threats.2. “Claim Now” Phishing LinksWhat happens:Users are tricked into clicking “claim reward” buttons for fake airdrops. The links usually trigger hidden approve() functions that give attackers access to your wallet.How to stay safe:Don’t click reward links from DMs, replies, or unknown sources.Review every transaction and check the “permissions” granted.Use a burner wallet for experimental dApps or airdrops.3. Fake Airdrops & Drainer TokensWhat happens:Scam tokens show up in wallets, directing users to “claim” more via malicious sites. These often initiate stealthy contract calls to drain funds.How to stay safe:Don’t interact with unknown tokens suddenly appearing in your wallet.Never sign a transaction you don’t understand.Search token contracts on ScamHunter to check for risks before engaging.4. Wallet Draining via Message SignatureWhat happens:Victims sign a message (not a transaction), unknowingly allowing attackers future control over assets via permit() or gasless execution.How to stay safe:Don’t sign messages from dApps you don’t fully trust.Be cautious of “Login to claim reward” or “verify account” requests.Use wallets like Rabby or WalletGuard that warn about suspicious signatures.💡Track it on BountyTrackWhile message signatures themselves are not stored on-chain, BountyTrack can help detect the aftermath — such as abnormal withdrawals or contract calls initiated through signature-based attacks.By analyzing wallet behavior patterns and their interactions with related dApps, users can trace, report, and block suspicious actors before more damage is done.5. Hacked Verified AccountsWhat happens:Even verified Twitter/X accounts — influencers, projects, or DAOs — can get hacked. Scammers then share malicious links under trusted handles.How to stay safe:Don’t trust posts solely based on blue checkmarks.Always double-check URLs.Check replies — often users will flag suspicious behavior.Report phishing attempts to ChainBounty.Why This MattersEvery scam report submitted on ChainBounty is verified by the community and stored in the Threat Reputation Database (TRDB) — an on-chain intelligence source powering alerts and protections across Web3.By participating, users are rewarded.By sharing, you help prevent the next attack.By connecting TRDB with dApps and wallets, phishing can be blocked before it strikes.Get InvolvedIf you’ve encountered a phishing link, fake dApp, or suspicious token:🔗 Submit a report hereHelp make Web3 safer — for you and for everyone else.The more we share, the stronger the defense.

ChainBounty Presents: BountyTrack

Your Web3 Radar Against Crypto ScamsWith scams growing smarter and wallets vanishing overnight, Web3 urgently needs real-time, community-powered tools for early fraud detection. That’s why BountyTrack exists — and now, it just got a major upgrade.What Is BountyTrack?BountyTrack is a crypto investigation dashboard built for Web3 users, security analysts, and on-chain detectives.Its mission? To help users analyze suspicious wallet activity, detect patterns before damage is done, and ultimately prevent fraud before it spreads.Now supporting over millions blockchains, BountyTrack empowers you to investigate wallet behavior across:Ethereum (ERC20), Bitcoin, Binance Smart Chain, Polygon, Avalanche, Tron, Solana, Ripple, Klaytn, Fantom, Cardano, and more.Key FeaturesMulti-chain wallet tracking : Trace a suspicious wallet’s activity across major L1 chains and sidechains.Token contract filtering: Narrow down results to specific tokens (not just native assets).Time-based investigation: Focus your analysis on specific transaction periods.Source & distribution depth control: Customize how deep to trace transactions in both directions.Visual fraud patterns : Generate intuitive graphs to understand flows and relationships instantly.Visualize flows. Trace origins. Flag scams faster.Real Use CasesSuspect a wallet involved in phishing? Track it and flag it.Lost funds to a fake airdrop? Submit a full on-chain report.A known influencer’s wallet seems compromised? Monitor and alert before followers are harmed.Built for Investigators, Powered by the CommunityWith a simple interface and powerful forensic tools, BountyTrack lowers the barrier for anyone to become an on-chain investigator. Whether you’re a security researcher, DAO operator, journalist, or simply a concerned user — you now have the tools to take action.Stop Fraud Before It SpreadsScams aren’t just a technical problem — they’re a timing problem. The faster we investigate, the faster we can protect.Start your investigation today: https://track.chainbounty.io

The Rise of Fake Airdrops: How Scammers Exploit Greed in Web3

Airdrops were once seen as the ultimate expression of Web3’s open ethos — free rewards for early believers, viral marketing without ad budgets, and a fairer way to grow a user base. But that golden era is fading fast.Today, airdrops have become one of the most exploited forms of scams in crypto. No advanced hacking is required, just a clean landing page, a fake domain, and a tweet from a compromised influencer account. One click to connect a wallet, and users watch their funds vanish in seconds.Scammers no longer need to break blockchains or bypass audits. They just need to prey on one weakness: human greed and haste.II. Some Cases of Fake Airdrop Scams in Web31. Ethereum Events Airdrop ScamIn January 2025, users fell victim to a highly convincing fake website branded as the “Ethereum Events Airdrop.” The site, designed with Ethereum Foundation logos and a polished UI, promised rewards of $5,000 to $50,000 in ETH for those who connected their wallets via MetaMask or WalletConnect.Once users signed the wallet connection, the site executed malicious transactions draining tokens or ETH, exploiting the approved permissions. This is a classic phishing smart contract — users willingly signed transactions without realizing they were authorizing fund transfers. Dozens of users lost their entire wallet balances.2. Hacked Influencer Accounts Promoting Fake AirdropsOne of the most effective scam vectors today is taking over verified influencer accounts. In October 2024, the X account of well-known influencer @AndyAyrey was compromised. The hacker used the account to promote a fake Solana airdrop and invited followers to join a Telegram group with promises that “tokens will be sent in 10–15 minutes.”The urgency, paired with the influencer’s credibility, triggered massive FOMO. Users shared wallet addresses or clicked malicious links, many ended up drained.Security firm PeckShield quickly issued alerts about the scam.3. XRP Giveaway Scam Impersonating Brad GarlinghouseScammers ran a large-scale campaign impersonating Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse. Using AI-generated voice and video clips from real interviews, they promoted a fake “XRP Airdrop” that required users to send between 1,000–10,000 XRP to a wallet address to “double their tokens.”The scam circulated on YouTube and Twitter under headlines like “Ripple XRP Special Giveaway — Celebrating Growth 2024.”Reported losses: Hundreds of thousands of dollars in XRP. Ripple later issued a formal warning.4. Wallet Drainer Airdrop — Multi-Chain Phishing AttacksIn January 2024, Scam Sniffer uncovered a sophisticated multi-chain phishing campaign targeting Ethereum, Solana, and Tron communities. Attackers created fake airdrop claim pages, prompting users to connect their wallets.Once connected, malicious scripts executed transactions across multiple chains, draining assets regardless of the blockchain — ETH, SOL, TRX alike.What’s worse: scammers used compromised X accounts of trusted community figures to add legitimacy. This marked a significant escalation from past wallet drainer attacks, which were largely confined to Ethereum.III. Why Are These Scams Still So Effective?1. FOMO and Greed Are Easy to ExploitThe fear of missing out is deeply rooted in crypto culture. When users see others posting about airdrop wins or countdown timers suggesting limited availability, they rush to participate without due diligence. In a space where being early often means profit, hesitation feels like loss.2. Scams Are More Sophisticated Than EverGone are the days of obvious red flags. Today’s fake sites feature sleek UIs, cloned contracts on Etherscan, well-designed branding, and near-identical domain names.Moreover, hijacking KOL accounts has become a dangerous trend — people tend to trust familiar faces. When a known influencer promotes a “limited airdrop,” followers rarely question its legitimacy.3. Lack of On-Chain LiteracyMany users don’t realize that signing a transaction could mean approving a contract to access all their tokens.Scammers exploit this by hiding malicious calls under the guise of “claim” buttons. Users think they’re confirming receipt — but are actually handing over the keys to their assets.IV. ChainBounty: The Community’s CounterattackIn the face of smarter scams, ChainBounty emerges as a powerful defense tool built for Web3 users.ChainBounty is a community-driven intelligence network that helps detect and report malicious activities, fake airdrops, and wallet drainers before they go viral. Rather than relying solely on audits or centralized security services, ChainBounty taps into the collective knowledge of on-chain analysts, developers and everyday users.On the platform, users can:Report suspicious transactions, contracts, or scam links they encounterSubmit detailed incident breakdowns or threat analysesEarn rewards for verified reports and contributionsChainBounty turns users into defenders of Web3 security. By creating a decentralized “threat radar”, it empowers the community to fight scams with speed, transparency, and scale.V. Conclusion — Stay Curious, Not CarelessScammers are evolving and so must we. Staying safe means more than just using a hardware wallet. It means learning how to spot phishing contracts, checking domain names, verifying sources, and using tools like ChainBounty to stay one step ahead.Crypto remains full of opportunity. But like any frontier, survival belongs to the cautious, not the careless.