# PhishDestroy threat dossier — merkrel.xyz ================================================================ Fetched: 2026-04-26 18:04:51 UTC Canonical: https://phishdestroy.io/domain/merkrel.xyz/ ## VERDICT ---------------------------------------------------------------- ACTIVE + CLOAKED — returns HTTP 666 to scanners, real fraudulent site to victims Composite threat score: 100/100 (PhishDestroy scoring — see methodology below) Scam classification: Impersonation Targeted brand: Google Cloaking: DETECTED — domain returns custom HTTP 666 to scanners while serving fraudulent content to real users (type: bot_redirect_safe) (score: 4/6) ## DETECTION EVIDENCE ---------------------------------------------------------------- VirusTotal: 0/95 security vendors flagged this domain ## INFRASTRUCTURE ---------------------------------------------------------------- IP address: 172.67.130.72 Registrar: NICENIC INTERNATIONAL GROUP CO., LIMITED !!! REGISTRAR INTEGRITY ALERT — NiceNIC !!! NiceNIC International: over 90% of its registered domains are associated with illegal content; documented systematic abuse-report non-response. Primary sources: https://phishdestroy.io/nicenic-real https://phishdestroy.io/nicenic-verdict Nameservers: lars.ns.cloudflare.com, susan.ns.cloudflare.com Registered: 2026-04-24 Page title: Google HTTP response: 200 ## ABUSE-REPORT HISTORY (evidence of registrar non-response) ---------------------------------------------------------------- Status: pending notification queue. No abuse reports filed yet — this domain is waiting for the next cycle of our automated abuse-reporter. ## TIMELINE ---------------------------------------------------------------- Domain registered: 2026-04-24 (per WHOIS / CT — may reflect a renewal or transfer date, not first-ever registration) First detected: 2026-04-26 16:57:58 UTC (by PhishDestroy tracker) Last verified: 2026-04-26 19:40:02 UTC Current status: ACTIVE — cloaked behind HTTP 666 to evade scanners ## EXTERNAL CORROBORATION (third-party evidence) ---------------------------------------------------------------- URLScan.io: https://urlscan.io/result/019dca11-bc74-74d4-a1a2-be2828ee4760/ Wayback Machine: https://web.archive.org/web/*/merkrel.xyz crt.sh CT logs: https://crt.sh/?q=%25.merkrel.xyz Google transparency: https://transparencyreport.google.com/safe-browsing/search?url=merkrel.xyz AlienVault OTX: https://otx.alienvault.com/indicator/domain/merkrel.xyz URLhaus: https://urlhaus.abuse.ch/host/merkrel.xyz/ ## ANALYST NARRATIVE ---------------------------------------------------------------- [Generated: 2026-04-26 16:58:37 UTC — narrative may predate facts above. Treat fields in TIMELINE / DETECTION EVIDENCE / INFRASTRUCTURE as authoritative if they differ from the prose below.] PhishDestroy identifies merkrel.xyz as a fraudulent domain actively impersonating Google to deploy a malicious cryptocurrency drainer. This site lures users with Google branding to trick victims into connecting cryptocurrency wallets, enabling unauthorized asset transfers upon interaction with deceptive interface elements. The domain's page title and branding mirror Google's official properties, creating a high-risk mimicry scenario designed to exploit user trust in well-known brands. The technical indicators supporting this assessment include a VirusTotal detection rate of 0 out of 95 antivirus engines as of the investigation timestamp, which indicates that current security definitions have not yet flagged the threat. The domain was registered through NICENIC INTERNATIONAL GROUP CO., LIMITED on April 24, 2026, and resolves to IP 172.67.130.72 using a Let's Encrypt SSL certificate. These attributes suggest an intentionally short-lived operation leveraging standard infrastructure to evade immediate detection while maintaining the appearance of legitimacy. Users who have visited merkrel.xyz should immediately cease any interaction with the site and disconnect any connected cryptocurrency wallets from suspicious interfaces. Conduct a thorough security scan on all devices used to access the domain and revoke any permissions granted to unknown or unauthorized applications. Report the domain to PhishDestroy for investigation and inclusion in global threat intelligence feeds to help protect the broader user community from this crypto drainer scam. ## EVIDENCE HASHES ---------------------------------------------------------------- Favicon MD5: f3418a443e7d841097c714d69ec4bcb8 ## SCORING METHODOLOGY ---------------------------------------------------------------- Composite score is NOT derived from VirusTotal alone. PhishDestroy aggregates: - VirusTotal positive ratio - Public blocklist consensus (MetaMask, ScamSniffer, OpenPhish, PhishTank, URLhaus, CryptoFirewall, SEAL, Polkadot, Enkrypt, Phishunt, DiscordPhishing, PhishingDB) - Cloaking detection (HTTP 666 or rendering delta between bot and real visitor) - DNS-filter consensus (Quad9, CleanBrowsing, NextDNS, AdGuard, Cloudflare, etc.) - AlienVault OTX pulses + Cloudflare Radar + Google Safe Browsing - URLScan / URLQuery verdicts - Brand-impersonation heuristics (DOM analysis of forms, logos, wording) - Known phishing-kit fingerprinting (favicon hash, JS obfuscation signatures) - Wallet-drainer family classification (Angel, MS, Rainbow, Pink, Inferno, ...) - Free-TLS vs paid-cert ratio (throwaway infrastructure signal) - Registrar/hosting abuse history (this registrar's track record) - Human researcher sign-off (volunteer takedown team) A domain present in our database is ALREADY flagged. A low VT count by itself does NOT mean the domain is safe — new scam domains routinely show 0/95 VT for their first 7–30 days while actively draining wallets. Always cross-reference the composite score and the individual indicators above, not just VT. ## CORRECTIONS / APPEALS ---------------------------------------------------------------- Full HTML report: https://phishdestroy.io/domain/merkrel.xyz/ JSON API: https://api.destroy.tools/v1/check?domain=merkrel.xyz Appeal a flag: https://phishdestroy.io/appeals/ (responded to within 48 hours, FP rate <0.01%) Submit a report: https://t.me/PhishDestroy_bot About PhishDestroy: volunteer-driven open-source threat-intelligence platform. Tracked: 131,000+ phishing domains. Confirmed takedowns: 91,000+. Site: https://phishdestroy.io