Tag Archives: crypto scams

American tech giant Google recently filed a lawsuit against two developers for uploading almost 90 fraudulent crypto investment applications on its online store, Google Play, which they used to defraud unsuspecting victims. Despite the company’s previous attempts to take down fraudulent apps from its Play Store, the alleged scammers found a way to upload more of such bogus apps, with Google stating that their fraud scheme affected around 100,000 users. Victims Promised...

The TRON network accounted for 45% of all illicit volume in 2023, according to data released by analysts at blockchain forensics firm TRM Labs. TRM Labs released a report titled “The Illicit Crypto Economy” on Wednesday shedding light on the key trends in 2023 related to illicit activities and funds in the crypto space. TRON Blockchain Dominates Illicit Activity TRON blockchain network, founded by Chinese entrepreneur Justin Sun, accounted for the highest illicit activity...

A 46-year-old housewife in Hong Kong has reported losses of 7.1 million Hong Kong dollars ($908,000) after investing in a fraudulent crypto investment platform. According to a report by the South China Morning Post, people familiar with the matter revealed that the woman did not realize she had been scammed until a year after the incident when she discussed the investment with her family. Hong Kong Housewife Scammed of $908K One of the fraudsters contacted the victim through...

X (formerly known as Twitter) has been a popular hook for scammers for over a decade now. However, the tactics employed in these schemes continuously evolve. What’s concerning is that many victims are still falling for scams because of misleading comments made by fake X accounts, leading them to phishing websites. X Fakes Fuel Phishing Frenzy According to Scam Sniffer’s February Phishing Report, a significant portion of the victims fell prey to such scams via X. Deceptive...

In February, the crypto industry saw losses totaling approximately $160 million due to exploits, hacks, and scams. The figures represented a slight dip from January despite an increase in prices. According to the latest update by CertiK, exit scams claimed the lion’s share at $58.2 million, followed by exploits at $101 million. Phishing accounted for $14.6 million, while $6.4 million was successfully recovered. Flash loans incurred minimal losses at $138k. Hong Kong-based...

South Korea has witnessed a surge in crypto trading, particularly following a market recovery. Correspondingly, authorities in the country received almost 49% more alerts of potentially suspicious transactions from crypto service providers in 2023 compared to the previous year. A paper from the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) revealed that South Korea logged 16,076 instances of reported crypto transactions suspected of links to activities like money laundering, market...

Scammers have taken their tactics to the next level and are now using real funds in address poisoning attacks. A recent incident where a victim lost nearly $50k was brought to light through a post on X by Cyvers Alerts, a platform dedicated to raising awareness about online threats. Crypto Users Targeted with Real ETH An initial post warned of the new phishing scam targeting crypto users, stating, “Beware of a new phishing scam targeting #crypto users! Scammers are now...

After sanctions were imposed on Tornado Cash and Sinbad was shut down following similar actions against the platform, Chainalysis revealed that YoMix, a Bitcoin mixer, has stepped in as an alternative. Recent discoveries by the blockchain analysis firm show that a wallet linked to North Korean hacking operations received funds from YoMix, whereas it used to receive funds from Sinbad. Lazarus Group Shifts Mixer Tactics Sophisticated cybercriminal groups like Lazarus Group have...

According to Scam Sniffer, scammers stole $55 million worth of cryptocurrency in January alone and set up more than 11,000 phishing websites. Notably, most of these thefts occurred on the Ethereum mainnet, with Arbitrum, BNB, Optimism, and Polygon closely behind. Crypto Phishing Attacks Surged in January In a recent Feb. 9 thread on X, Scam Sniffer highlighted a concerning trend observed in January, noting a surge in phishing attacks coinciding with heightened activity within...

Pump and dump schemes commonly entail an individual or a group of actors investing in a token, vigorously advocating for its value to surge, and then swiftly selling off their holdings for substantial gains. This frequently leads to a sharp drop or complete collapse in the token’s value, adversely affecting holders who were unaware of the manipulation. Nevertheless, Chainalysis findings reveal a high failure rate of these schemes. Pump-And-Dumps Plagued by High Failure Rate...