Unmasking the Pacmoon Scam and Protecting Your Crypto Assets

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*Source of claim SH can remove it.

In the ever-evolving digital age, the allure of cryptocurrency has given rise to innovative financial opportunities. However, this digital frontier is also fraught with pitfalls, among which the Pacmoon scam stands as a cautionary tale of deceit. This article aims to demystify the Pacmoon scam, providing you with the knowledge to recognize, avoid, and secure your digital assets against such nefarious schemes.

Screenshot of netsecom.com.ar promoting the Pacmoon scam with a 10% Airdrop Bonus offer
Beware: Netsecom.com.ar Promotes Deceptive Pacmoon (PAC) Scam

What is Pacmoon?

Pacmoon presents itself as a promising cryptocurrency project, offering participants a 10% bonus in Pacmoon (PAC) tokens through an airdrop for joining their initiative. Yet, beneath this veneer of opportunity lies a malicious intent to compromise digital wallets and drain assets.

The Reality: Pacmoon – A Cloaked Threat

The question of Pacmoon’s legitimacy is met with a stark reality—it is a scam. By enticing users to connect their digital wallets under the guise of a token airdrop, the scam initiates a cryptocurrency drainer that siphons assets to scammer-controlled wallets.

Screenshot of MetaMask wallet flagged PAC promoting site as deceptive
MetaMask wallet warns of the potential risks of using the Netsecom.com.ar site promoting PAC token

Mechanisms of the Pacmoon Scam

  1. Deceptive Promises: The lure of a 10% PAC token bonus serves as the bait for unsuspecting victims.
  2. Cryptocurrency Drainers: Upon wallet connection, automated transactions transfer funds to the scammers, often leaving the victim’s account depleted.
  3. Irretrievable Losses: The nature of cryptocurrency transactions, being nearly untraceable, renders the recovery of stolen assets impossible.
  4. Exploitation of Social Media: The scam is promulgated through posts on X, TikTok or Istagram notably using hacked accounts to enhance its perceived legitimacy.

Recognizing and Evading the Pacmoon Scam

Vigilance on Social Media

Be skeptical of offers that seem too good to be true, especially those promoted through unexpected social media posts. The use of hacked accounts for promotion is a red flag indicating potential fraud.

Protect Your Digital Wallet

Always verify the authenticity of any project that requires you to connect your digital wallet. Look for red flags such as the requirement for unnecessary permissions or the absence of credible project details.

Guarding Against Airdrop Crypto Scams

Airdrop scams, like Pacmoon, exploit the excitement around free token distributions to execute their schemes. Here are comprehensive strategies to safeguard your digital treasures:

  • Research Thoroughly: Investigate the project’s background, team, and online presence. Genuine projects have transparent operations and verifiable details.
  • Use Hardware Wallets: When possible, use hardware wallets for an additional layer of security. They offer protection even if your computer is compromised.
  • Engage in Community Verification: Leverage the collective knowledge of cryptocurrency forums and communities. If a scam is afoot, chances are, it has already been flagged by vigilant users.
  • Enable Wallet Safeguards: Utilize wallets that feature transaction confirmation prompts, which can prevent unauthorized transfers.

Conclusion

The digital currency landscape, while rich with opportunities, is also peppered with pitfalls such as the Pacmoon, VegDEX, BINOZY or Hupdex scam. Armed with awareness and the right preventative measures, you can navigate the crypto world safely. Remember, in the realm of cryptocurrency, vigilance is not just a practice but a necessity. By educating yourself and adopting secure habits, you ensure that your digital journey is both profitable and protected.

SUMMARY:

NamePacmoon
Type Trojan
Detection Tool

*Source of claim SH can remove it.

Remove Pacmoon Scam

To try and remove Pacmoon quickly you can try this:

  1. Go to your browser’s settings and select More Tools (or Add-ons, depending on your browser).
  2. Then click on the Extensions tab.
  3. Look for the Pacmoon extension (as well as any other unfamiliar ones).
  4. Remove Pacmoon by clicking on the Trash Bin icon next to its name.
  5. Confirm and get rid of Pacmoon and any other suspicious items.

If this does not work as described please follow our more detailed Pacmoon removal guide below.

If you have a Windows virus, continue with the guide below.

If you have a Mac virus, please use our How to remove Ads on Mac guide.

If you have an Android virus, please use our Android Malware Removal guide.

If you have an iPhone virus, please use our iPhone Virus Removal guide.


Some of the steps may require you to exit the page. Bookmark it for later reference.
Next, Reboot in Safe Mode (use this guide if you don’t know how to do it).

Step1 Uninstall the Pacmoon app and kill its processes

The first thing you must try to do is look for any sketchy installs on your computer and uninstall anything you think may come from Pacmoon. After that, you’ll also need to get rid of any processes that may be related to the unwanted app by searching for them in the Task Manager.

Note that sometimes an app, especially a rogue one, may ask you to install something else or keep some of its data (such as settings files) on your PC – never agree to that when trying to delete a potentially rogue software. You need to make sure that everything is removed from your PC to get rid of the malware. Also, if you aren’t allowed to go through with the uninstallation, proceed with the guide, and try again after you’ve completed everything else.

  • Uninstalling the rogue app
  • Killing any rogue processes

Type Apps & Features in the Start Menu, open the first result, sort the list of apps by date, and look for suspicious recently installed entries.

Click on anything you think could be linked to Pacmoon, then select uninstall, and follow the prompts to delete the app.

delete suspicious Pacmoon apps

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc, click More Details (if it’s not already clicked), and look for suspicious entries that may be linked to Pacmoon.

If you come across a questionable process, right-click it, click Open File Location, scan the files with the free online malware scanner shown below, and then delete anything that gets flagged as a threat.

Each file will be scanned with up to 64 antivirus programs to ensure maximum accuracy
This scanner is free and will always remain free for our website's users.
This file is not matched with any known malware in the database. You can either do a full real-time scan of the file or skip it to upload a new file. Doing a full scan with 64 antivirus programs can take up to 3-4 minutes per file.
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    Delete Pacmoon files and quit its processes.

    After that, if the rogue process is still visible in the Task Manager, right-click it again and select End Process.

    Step2 Undo Pacmoon changes made to different system settings

    It’s possible that Pacmoon has affected various parts of your system, making changes to their settings. This can enable the malware to stay on the computer or automatically reinstall itself after you’ve seemingly deleted it. Therefore, you need to check the following elements by going to the Start Menu, searching for them, and pressing Enter to open them and to see if anything has been changed there without your approval. Then you must undo any unwanted changes made to these settings in the way shown below:

    • DNS
    • Hosts
    • Startup
    • Task
      Scheduler
    • Services
    • Registry

    Type in Start Menu: View network connections

    Right-click on your primary network, go to Properties, and do this:

    Undo DNS changes made by Pacmoon

    Type in Start Menu: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts

    Delete Pacmoon IPs from Hosts

    Type in the Start Menu: Startup apps

    Disable Pacmoon startup apps

    Type in the Start Menu: Task Scheduler

    Delete Pacmoon scheduled tasks

    Type in the Start Menu: Services

    Disable Pacmoon services

    Type in the Start Menu: Registry Editor

    Press Ctrl + F to open the search window

    Clear the Registry from Pacmoon items

    About the author

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    Valentin Slavov

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