Etherscan Implicated in Phishing Scam

A significant phishing campaign has been discovered on the Ethereum blockchain explorer, Etherscan. An Etherscan user named McBiblets first identified certain advertisements on the platform as potentially fraudulent, warning others about the risk of being redirected to phishing websites by clicking on these ads. Further investigation revealed that the same phishing ads appeared on other known phishing websites. Scam Sniffer, a Web3 anti-scam platform, expanded on McBiblets’ findings and found that the phishing ads were not limited to Etherscan, but also appeared on popular search engines like Google, Bing, and DuckDuckGo, as well as the social media platform X. Scam Sniffer speculated that the lack of oversight from advertisement aggregators may be the cause of this widespread phishing campaign, as Etherscan aggregates ads from platforms like Coinzilla and Persona that may not have sufficient filtering mechanisms against phishing attempts.

The phishing scam in question involves enticing users to fake websites and prompting them to link their cryptocurrency wallets. Once the user’s wallet is linked, the scammer can withdraw funds without requiring any authentication or permission. SlowMist, a blockchain security firm, also cautioned users about the presence of phishing ads on Etherscan, emphasizing the need to be cautious. It is believed that the notorious cyber phishing organization, Angel Drainer, may be behind this ongoing phishing attack campaign against Etherscan users. Concrete evidence regarding the scammers’ identity has yet to be uncovered.

According to a report from Scam Sniffer, crypto phishing scams stole nearly $300 million from over 324,000 victims through wallet drainer schemes in 2023 alone. Even when one group of drainers is shut down, new phishing gangs emerge and continue their activities on different platforms, suggesting a never-ending supply of services for scammers. To protect oneself from phishing attacks, it is crucial to understand how they work and take preventive measures. offers a guide that provides valuable information on phishing attacks and the steps one can take to avoid falling victim to them.