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Malwarebytes reported finding 70 websites impersonating crypto projects and using a fake vote on future rewards to lure visitors into connecting wallets. Connecting a wallet alone reveals its address and lets a site look up holdings; the potential to move tokens comes from a later malicious approval or signature, not the connection itself.

What Malwarebytes says the fake rewards vote did

In a report published October 1, 2026, Malwarebytes threat-intelligence author Stefan Dasic described 70 sites that copied crypto-project branding and promoted a purported vote on the date of a future rewards distribution. Many promised active voters a 1.25x boost on future rewards. The count is Malwarebytes’ reported number of sites—not a victim count or confirmed loss total. The report gives no victim count or confirmed amount stolen.

The listed impersonated brands were xStocks from Kraken, Pendle, Zama, Kinetiq, Yield Basis, Firelight, Umia, Keeta and NetNet. Malwarebytes said the pages were not affiliated with the projects they imitated. On the reported pages, clicking Vote now opened a wallet-connection window rather than a ballot.

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How the pitches differed

  • The Pendle copy included fabricated dates and a countdown.
  • The Keeta page offered points instead of a rewards boost.
  • The NetNet page threatened to burn unclaimed tokens after 48 hours.
  • The Firelight copy paired its invented promotion with a real announcement about the protocol’s deposit cap.

That last detail matters: genuine-looking copied material does not authenticate the page carrying it. Logos, familiar wording and real announcements can all be copied alongside a fraudulent offer.

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What happens when you connect a wallet?

According to Malwarebytes, connecting a wallet shares its public address with the site and lets the site look up associated holdings. Connection alone does not give the page permission to spend tokens. The more serious risk arises if the site then asks you to sign a message or approve a transaction under the pretext of voting or claiming rewards.

A malicious approval or signature may authorize token movement without another confirmation. Malwarebytes did not identify the exact contract, signature type, network or assets targeted in this campaign, so those technical details should not be assumed. Blockchain transactions generally cannot be reversed, which can make stolen funds difficult to recover.

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How to tell a suspicious vote from an official project notice

Malwarebytes observed that the domains in this campaign followed a pattern: sitemu followed by apparently random characters on the .xyz domain ending. It also reported reused page templates and identical wallet-connection windows across brands. These are indicators specific to the reported campaign, not proof that every domain matching the pattern is malicious. The report does not establish whether any listed domain is still active.

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Use the project’s established domain and official announcement channels as your reference point; a page’s appearance is not enough. Check these points before taking action:

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  • Domain and announcement: Does the address exactly match the project’s established site, and is the vote or rewards notice also announced through the project’s official channels?
  • What the button does: Does it open a real ballot, or immediately ask for a wallet connection instead?
  • What the wallet asks: Read any message or transaction request. A request to approve spending tokens, grant a permit or authorize a transfer is not something to accept merely because the page calls it a vote.
  • Pressure and promises: Treat multipliers, bonuses, countdowns and burn deadlines as prompts to slow down and verify—not as evidence that an offer is genuine.
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What to do if you encountered one of these pages

  1. Do not follow the link in a message, ad or reply. Open the project’s established site directly or use a bookmark, then check its official channels for the claimed vote or distribution.
  2. If you only connected your wallet, disconnect it. A connection shares the address but does not itself grant token-spending permission.
  3. If you signed a message or approved a transaction, inspect permissions. Use your wallet’s approval-management feature or a trusted token-approval checker. Disconnecting a site does not revoke an approval.
  4. If your recovery phrase or private key may have been exposed, move remaining funds. Malwarebytes advises moving them to a new wallet with a new recovery phrase.

Stefan Dasic, Malwarebytes’ Senior Malware Research Engineer and Web Protection Technical Lead, advised: “Check any claimed vote or rewards distribution through the project’s official channels before connecting your wallet.”

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