The scammers have gone to great lengths to build a convincing façade. By purchasing sponsored search results for terms like “Optimus Tesla preorder,” their malicious domains, such as offers-tesla.com, appear at the top of search engine results, lending them an air of legitimacy. Once a user clicks on one of these ads, they are redirected to a meticulously cloned interface that looks nearly identical to an outdated version of Tesla’s legitimate website.
Crucially, these sites forgo the traditional phishing tactic of stealing login credentials. Instead, they focus exclusively on soliciting a non-refundable $250 deposit, a model that closely mirrors Tesla’s own preorder practices and enhances the illusion of a genuine transaction. This method helps the operation avoid detection and delays victims’ awareness of the fraud until long after their payment has been processed.
The campaign’s technical underpinnings are a calculated mix of clever deception and operational stealth. Researchers have identified a web of malicious domains, including exclusive-tesla.com and prelaunch-tesla.com, though some have been taken offline likely due to takedown requests. The sites are hosted behind Cloudflare’s content delivery network (CDN), which helps obscure their true origins and makes them more resilient to takedowns.
Analysis of the fake sites reveals file timestamps from early 2025, indicating when assets from the legitimate Tesla site were scraped and repurposed. This shows a deliberate effort to create a recent, believable copy. The discovery of open directory listings like /api and /js also suggests that this is a hastily assembled, but nevertheless dangerous, operation.
The primary objective of these scams is not immediate charge processing but rather the exfiltration of sensitive payment data. When a user enters their credit card information, the data is not processed on the site itself. Instead, it is funneled to secondary endpoints, such as https://caribview.info/tesla/, indicating a modular architecture designed for data harvesting. Tests using invalid card numbers have shown that the sites often accept the information without attempting a real-time charge, suggesting the attackers prioritize collecting raw cardholder data for later exploitation.
This data could be sold on underground forums or used for fraudulent purchases. The absence of email confirmations also plays a key role in the scam’s success, as it prevents victims from receiving an alert that might prompt early scrutiny. The lack of a follow-up confirmation helps ensure the victim remains unaware of the fraud for an extended period.
Mitigating the Evolving Threat
This malware variant represents a significant shift from traditional cyber threats like ransomware. It focuses on financial fraud through sophisticated social engineering and brand mimicry. The attackers exploit the high-tech, high-hype nature of products like the Optimus robot and the fact that an official preorder does not exist. The delayed detection mechanism is a key component, as victims may not realize they’ve been scammed until months or years later when they expect a product that will never arrive.
Cybersecurity experts urge consumers to be vigilant by enabling ad blockers, meticulously scrutinizing URL authenticity before entering any personal information, and reporting suspicious websites. This evolving threat vector, which combines elements of phishing with typosquatting, underscores the importance of exercising caution and verifying information directly from official sources to avoid becoming a victim.
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