The FBI warns of crypto currency fraud. The scammers claim to be technical support for Exchange platforms and demand access to the accounts of their victims.
The phishing of sensitive data is certainly not new – mails from Solomon Odonkoh show that even classic phishing mails still meet attentive readers – even if in the linked example the comedian James Veitch.
Nevertheless, the warning Bitcoin news show that the scam is still quite successful
The Bitcoin news report about 11,000 complaints regarding fraud by false tech support sites in 2017 alone. According to Bitcoin news victims of these scams complain of a loss of nearly 15 million US dollars. This is an increase of 86% compared to the previous year. The majority of victims come from the USA, but IC3 has also received complaints from 85 other countries.
The fraudsters‘ approach
According to IC3, the fraudsters‘ approach normally follows a clear scheme:
„The fraudulent support asks for access to the victim’s wallet and then transfers the victim’s credit to another wallet for temporary security during maintenance work. The credit is never returned to the victim and the criminal terminates all communication.“
IC3 adds that fraudsters can also use personal information and credit cards to purchase additional crypto currencies.
Precautions against fraud
Fraudsters often position their falsified support data in the sponsored area of search engine results. So be careful here. Furthermore, passwords and personal data should never be passed on to strangers. Official support does not ask for this information either. In addition, it should be ensured that your own software is kept up to date.
Official support does not initiate customer contact on its own initiative. Unwanted contact is therefore also a warning signal for a possible phishing attempt. In the case of treacherous pop-ups and malware that freezes the screen, the IC3 recommends switching off the affected device immediately. Affected persons report that after a short waiting period the pop-ups and screen locks have disappeared when the device is restarted.
A Bitcoin owner reacted creatively to a request for a Bitcoin donation: Neil Murphy demanded in return for 0.15 Bitcoin that his counterpart disguise himself as a raccoon and dig through the garbage. After receiving the photographs, he published them but refused to pay. One can find that funny, one can ask oneself, who is the cheater in this case and one can feel compassion. In any case, the example shows how much effort some people take on for the crypto money of others.
Surely James Veitch’s or Neil Murphy’s strategies are humorous. But it is more helpful, especially when such scam attempts take place via social networks, to make these fraud attempts public.