What is Ape Royale?
Ape Royale is a fake project trying to appear legitimate by using the work done by another legit web3 video game project, Cantina Royale.
Ape Royale copied their assets, blog posts and websites to quickly build a trustworthy
facade.
They even regularly copy Discord messages of Cantina Royale administrators and users onto their own
Discord
server
to give some life and credibility to their trap.
How do they proceed?
They target cryptocurrency users interested in web3 games to get them to download and run an
Ethereum wallet
stealer on their computer.
They get in contact with potential victims on Twitter and Discord.
They are also targeting crypto Community Managers looking for a job.
Once they feel you're convinced enough, they will send you a code to download their program on their
website.
By hidding their program behind an invite code, they can track specific victims and hide their virus
from
online anti-virus analyzers.
VirusTotal scan (1st version) 9 security vendors flagged this file as malicious
VirusTotal scan (2nd version) 1 security vendor flagged this file as malicious
Are they offering you a Community Manager job?
They pretend to offer weekly and monthly salary payments, mainly in Ethereum (ETH), for your
services.
But first, you have to download and install their game to test it.
There is nothing to test! The program will deploy a malware on your computer and
steal what it can from you.
What to do if you executed their program?
- Don't panic, keep your cool and act quickly without making the situation worse. Don't hesitate to call a friend for help.
-
Immediately disconnect your computer from the Internet by disabling your network:
- Cut off your WiFi.
- Unplug your network cable.
- If you have any doubts, shutdown your router/Internet access.
-
From another device:
- Create a new wallet and move all your assets in it.
- Change your passwords, especially the ones saved on your web browser and email client.
-
Clean your compromised computer:
- Do a full antivirus scan with an up-to-date solution.
- Contact your local computer repair shop.
![Ape Royale scam](img/aperoyale-logo.png)
![Catina Royale legitimate](img/cantinaroyale-logo.png)
Registered on August 18 2023
https://aperoyale.org
Registered on September 8 2023
Registered on November 4 2021
3 short articles, including 2 on the same day. All copied from Cantina Royale.
More than a year of updates and developer articles.
Registered on April 2023
Registered on November 2021
Web3 investigators
🚨 Exposing the Ape Royale Scam 🚨
— Anon Web3 (@youranonweb3) September 18, 2023
1/6 🕵️♂️ Unmasking the Ape Royale Impersonation Scam
Let's dive into the troubling world of Ape Royale, a project that's pretending to be the legitimate Cantina Royale web3 P2E game.
Cont 👇 pic.twitter.com/iaMsnaEtan
Scam Hunt S.1
— JustMichael.𝕏🧊 (@blitzwhitelist) September 18, 2023
ApeRoyale - Pt.1
In this video, I am going to show and analyze the SCAM project of ApeRoyal. This is just not one scammer, but multiple running a copy-scam project.
For further analysis, I will not be releasing as of yet, names and affiliated Discord servers. pic.twitter.com/0487hhAfnI