Stored registration data identifies NICENIC INTERNATIONAL GROUP CO., LIMITED (IANA 3765) as the registrar. PhishDestroy maintains separate NiceNIC abuse-report research; registrar association is contextual and is not an independent detection for this domain.
The domain app.merkl.exchange is identified as a fake cryptocurrency exchange platform. It poses a threat by attempting to deceive users into believing it is a legitimate trading service, likely to steal login credentials, funds, or personal information through social engineering.
Technical analysis shows the site is flagged by 13 out of 95 VirusTotal vendors, including ADMINUSLabs, ChainPatrol, BitDefender, CRDF, and CyRadar. Google Safe Browsing reports it as flagged for SOCIAL_ENGINEERING. The domain is registered with NiceNIC International Group Co., Limited, created on 2026-01-03, and hosted on IP 172.67.185.200 (US) under AS13335 Cloudflare, Inc. It has no SSL certificate and uses nameservers cloe.ns.cloudflare.com and mitch.ns.cloudflare.com. GridinSoft trust rating is 0 out of 100.
The site is currently offline. Based on the high detection rate, blocklist presence, and lack of SSL, the risk level is high. Users should avoid any interaction with this domain or its associated services.
Detection-evasion analysis
Cloaking and traffic-distribution check
Not observedNo cloaking was observed in the stored scan
Stored crawler-versus-browser observations for this host, plus a live fingerprint check for Keitaro-style traffic distribution systems.
Stored cloaking flag
Not observed
Cloaking score
0/6
Last cloaking scan
Scanner note:unavailable: raw=connection_error; http=0; via=http_proxy; error=SOCKSHTTPConnectionPool(host='app.merkl.exchange', port=80): Max retries exceeded with url: / (Caused by NewConnectionEr
Live TDS fingerprint check
Seven Keitaro fingerprints plus a crawler-versus-browser comparison, run from the PhishDestroy scanner when this panel is open.
Registration (base domain)merkl.exchange · Created Jan 3, 2026 (282d)—Expires Jan 3, 2027
Elapsed Since First Report109 days
What we count
Raw elapsed time since the first stored abuse report. It is not a registrar response-time measurement. Latest observed status: Unverified.
What each report contains
Stored outgoing-report records may reference evidence available at the time, such as vendor verdicts, registration data, hosting details, classifications, or screenshots. This page does not infer the exact payload delivered, receipt, acknowledgement, or action by a recipient.
Technical detailsProvenance & timestamps
First DetectedJan 4, 2026
DOM Analysisanalyzed Apr 23, 2026score 98/100
Submitted URLhttp://app.merkl.exchange/
ICANN OVERSIGHTRegistration: merkl.exchange
Accreditation and RAA context
Registrar accreditation and DNS abuse obligations
For the registrable domain merkl.exchange behind this subdomain, the registrar above operates under an ICANN accreditation agreement. The links below provide the official fee schedule and current DNS abuse compliance guidance.
Accreditation is a contract, not a safety certification.
RAA §3.18 establishes abuse-contact and handling requirements. This report can document stored outbound notices and later technical observations; it does not by itself establish receipt, investigation, remediation, or contractual non-compliance.
Primary outcomeRegistration hold observedreason: Registrar clientHold95% confidence
AttributionNICENIC INTERNATIONAL GROUP CO., LIMITEDmechanism: Registrar clientHoldsource: Rdap Status Collector
Evidence layersAvailability: DNS inactiveContent: UnreachableDNS: NXDOMAINRegistration: Registrar clientHold
Latest HTTP observationUnknownProbe Inconclusive20%2026-10-12 02:34:09 UTC
RDAP registrationRegistrar clientHoldNICENIC INTERNATIONAL GROUP CO., LIMITED · IANA 3765RDAP HTTP 200source: Rdap Status CollectorclientDeleteProhibitedclientHoldclientTransferProhibitedexpires 2027-01-03 17:07:39 UTCchecked 2026-10-12 04:06:11 UTC
Registrar action markerverified clientHold markerNICENIC INTERNATIONAL GROUP CO., LIMITED · IANA 3765causal link to our report not established
Observed timelinelast reachable: 2026-05-16 14:56:55 UTCcurrent episode first observed: 2026-08-05 01:45:38 UTCobserved RIP window: 2026-05-16 14:56:55 UTC → 2026-08-05 01:45:38 UTC · 1,930.81hmidpoint estimate ≈ 2026-06-25 20:21:16 UTC · precision very low · basis bounded
Availability, content, DNS and registration are independent evidence layers. NXDOMAIN, an unreachable origin or missing content alone does not prove registrar action. A registrar or provider is credited only when a direct technical marker identifies that actor. Report causality is shown separately.
Last analyzed Previous stored snapshot: 11 detections
ADMINUSLabs
ChainPatrol
BitDefender
CRDF
CyRadar
Forcepoint ThreatSeeker
Fortinet
G-Data
Google Safebrowsing
SOCRadar
Sophos
Forensic History & Detection Timeline
ThreatLifecycleTelemetry
This timeline displays historical security and status checkpoints observed by the PhishDestroy automated monitoring network. It records domain lifecycle updates, scanner changes, and threat telemetry over time.
11 recorded events. These records describe collected evidence, outgoing notifications and publication; they do not confirm a complete investigation or a takedown.
Threat Ingested
app.merkl.exchange detected and queued for full analysis
A stored Cloudflare Radar report is available. The report link alone is not a malicious verdict and does not prove that every network field was captured.
We scan suspicious URLs, inspect public results and send evidence through the appropriate abuse-reporting channels. The dated events above show what is recorded for this domain. The directory below explains the wider workflow.
01Public scans & evidence collection10 sources and tool groups+
Inspect the public DNS, TLS, HTTP and technology surface.
02Abuse reports & follow-upRegistrar, hosting and security channels+
Identify the responsible provider. Match registration and hosting records to the relevant abuse contact.
Prepare an evidence package. Include the URL, public scan references, captures and the recorded observations.
Send the report. Keep outgoing report records and recipient information when available.
Recheck and publish updates. Track later scanner verdicts, provider responses and site availability.
Security services used for scanning, reputation checks and reporting are listed below. A service being listed is not evidence that it received, accepted or acted on this particular domain. Recorded submissions appear in the notification history above.
4 evidence signal groups linked0 reports recordedUnverified
If credentials were compromised, report immediately. Do not engage with recovery scammers.
If credentials, payment data, or files were exposed, report the incident immediately. Change affected passwords, revoke active sessions, and scan the device.
Beware of recovery scammers! Recovery scammers may pose as investigators, lawyers, or tracing services. Do not pay upfront fees or disclose credentials.Learn more about recovery fraud →
Template-based draft · optional AI wording assistance requires separate consent
Template-based draft • optional AI wording assistance requires separate consent · Review and submit it yourself
Related Infrastructure & Reports
Stored relationships are grouped by the exact matching attribute. A shared provider or registrar alone does not prove common ownership.
Direct link Shares a registration or an identical phishing kit.
Supporting signal Shares infrastructure or a target brand; not proof of one operator.
Discovery only Listed for navigation; no shared attribute with this host.
Infrastructure map · app.merkl.exchange
Each lane is one reason a domain is linked to this host. Node size marks VirusTotal detections and dashed nodes are already offline. The full lists follow below.
(RU)
PhishDestroy Investigation
