Recently, we’ve been made aware of a fraudulent operation running under the guise of stormbrains.shop, which has been implicated in several scams involving the loss of substantial amounts of cryptocurrency.  A victim reported multiple transactions amounting to significant sums of USDT sent to the fraudulent receiving address, 0x12Bfa9430c7cB0fa1B293b7aD3b494E1Fb26D245.

The victim’s transactions included 523.44 USDT, 514.60 USDT, and a staggering 2,057 USDT, all sent via Trust Wallet. Each transaction was marked as completed, yet the victim received no services or products in return, confirming the fraudulent nature of the dealings with stormbrains.shop.

Receiving Address: 0x12Bfa9430c7cB0fa1B293b7aD3b494E1Fb26D245

Analyzing the receiving address, 0x12Bfa9430c7cB0fa1B293b7aD3b494E1Fb26D245, we can uncover significant insights that align with the reported scam complaint. This Ethereum address has been involved in seven transactions on the blockchain, receiving a cumulative amount of 0.059860599247026501 ETH, which is approximately $206.38. The total sent from this address is 0.0045 ETH, valued at $15.51, leaving a current balance of 0.054500160489160461 ETH, or $187.90.

Delving into the transaction history, we observe that the address has transferred to and from various other addresses. Notably, there have been multiple transactions involving Tether (USDT), corresponding with the victim’s claim of sending substantial amounts of USDT to this address. The victim’s reported transactions include 523.44 USDT, 514.60 USDT, and 2,057 USDT, all directed to this address.

The transaction records show that the address 0x12Bfa9430c7cB0fa1B293b7aD3b494E1Fb26D245 has conducted significant transfers around the same dates as those mentioned in the complaint. The USDT activity aligns with the reported amounts and confirms the address’s involvement in receiving substantial sums of cryptocurrency without providing any returns or services.

Domain Analysis: stormbrains.shop

The domain stormbrains.shop was registered relatively recently, on June 1, 2024, through the registrar GNAME.COM PTE. LTD. The registration is set to expire on June 1, 2025. This short registration period is often a red flag, as scam websites frequently have short lifespans.

Traffic analysis tools reveal minimal organic and no significant paid search traffic. The site has only a few backlinks from other domains, and these links are marked as “nofollow,” meaning they do not contribute to the site’s search engine ranking. This lack of organic and paid traffic suggests the site is not established and lacks credibility in the online community.

Stormbrains.shop Review

Upon examining the content of stormbrains.shop, several critical red flags indicative of a scam become evident. The site’s registration agreement and login pages provide sparse contact details and ambiguous company information, a common trait among fraudulent websites.

The registration agreement does not include physical addresses, phone numbers, or email contacts, which is unusual for a legitimate business. This lack of transparency is a significant red flag, as it suggests an attempt to avoid accountability and conceal the true identity of the operators behind the site. Furthermore, the agreement includes restrictive and unreasonable terms, such as prohibiting users from canceling tasks or skipping steps and mandating a 3% withdrawal fee for amounts over $400,000, which are only refunded after the withdrawal is processed. Such terms are designed to complicate and discourage withdrawals, trapping users’ funds within the platform.

The login page features typical phishing characteristics, prompting users to enter their username and password without offering secure login options like two-factor authentication. The presence of generic and non-specific security features in the site’s source code further raises suspicions.

Stormbrains.shop Reviews

The online reputation of stormbrains.shop reveals significant concerns about its legitimacy. Various review platforms and scam detection websites have flagged the domain as potentially fraudulent, casting doubt on its reliability.

ScamAdviser.com provides a relatively high trust score for stormbrains.shop, suggesting it might be legitimate. However, the same site advises caution, indicating that the site’s newness and lack of a substantial online presence may contribute to a false sense of security.

In contrast, Scam Detector offers a starkly different perspective. According to their analysis, stormbrains.shop has one of the lowest trust scores on the platform, at 4.8. This rating indicates that the business is likely fraudulent, with Scam Detector warning users to stay away from the site due to high risks associated with it.

Scamdoc.com echoes these concerns, assigning a very low trust score of 1% to stormbrains.shop.

The Bottom Line

In light of our thorough analysis, it is evident that Storm Brains.shop is a highly suspicious and likely fraudulent website. Concerning aspects include the lack of transparent contact information, restrictive user terms designed to complicate withdrawals, and ambiguous security measures. Despite some positive trust scores from certain platforms, the overwhelming evidence from scam detection sites and user reviews points towards StormBrains.shop being a scam.