An investigation provided in-depth info regarding how sextortion scams remain profitable for cybercriminals. A study carried out by SophosLabs in conjunction with cryptocurrency intelligence company, CipherTrace, revealed that sextortion scams are a profitable business. Between September 1, 2019, and January 31, 2020, nearly $500,000 in profits we gained by cybercriminals engaging in sextortion. According to…
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A former Christian pastor targeted his African-American parishioners with fake investments in ‘the first black-owned alkaline water company.’ The United States Securities and Exchange Commission has charged a former pastor and his wife for stealing $500,000 through a trio of fraudulent businesses, including a cryptocurrency offering purportedly backed by a bottled water business. According to…
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A scam YouTube account is impersonating Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse to promote a fake 50 million XRP airdrop. Despite YouTube’s many aggressive actions against cryptocurrency-related content, the world’s most popular video-hosting website is apparently having trouble discovering a major scam account involving crypto. On March 23, the crypto community spotted a bogus YouTube account impersonating…
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The U.S. CFTC joins the list of global authorities warning the public against crypto scammers trying to capitalize on the widespread coronavirus fears. United States derivatives markets regulator, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), has joined the list of global authorities warning the public against cryptocurrency scammers trying to capitalize on the widespread coronavirus fears.…
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As Bitcoin seriously underperforms over the weekend, concerns are rising that progress is being hampered by the PlusToken scammers. Bitcoin (BTC) began its sudden crash due to another giant sell-off from the PlusToken pyramid scheme, analysts are suggesting as BTC/USD lost $8,000 support. According to various online commentators citing Blockchain data, participants in the $2.9…
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The co-founder of the notorious $5 billion fraud, Ruja Ignatova, will ultimately hit screens after a U.S. production company wins filming rights. The co-founder of cryptocurrency-inspired Ponzi scheme OneCoin faces charges of fraud and money laundering in her absence — but will now become a movie star. As Hollywood news outlet Deadline reported on Feb.…
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The Ugandan government is reported to be making moves in banning pyramid schemes, which may put additional restriction for cryptocurrency usage and reporting. Ugandan legislators are exploring the role of cryptocurrencies in connection with pyramid scheme frauds that are often found in the country, local newspaper PML Daily reported on Feb. 4. While legislators are…
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North Korean hacking group Lazarus reportedly created an elaborate ruse to phish DragonEx exchange employees into installing a malware-infested trading bot. The North Korean hacking team Lazarus Group targeted several crypto exchanges last year, Chainalysis reports. One of the attacks involved the creation of a fake, but realistic trading bot website that was offered to…
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An international task force of French, Belgian and Israeli investigators brought down a fraud scheme responsible for stealing €6 million from French and Belgian citizens. French, Belgian and Israeli investigators have brought down a scheme that defrauded €6 million ($6.64 million) from French and Belgian citizens, a Jan 29. press release from Europol reads. The…
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Research by U.S. think tank Atlantic Council suggests that OneCoin leveraged fake reviews on TrustPilot and Quora to lure investors. Research conducted by the Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab) of the Atlantic Council think tank suggests that the infamous cryptocurrency-themed Ponzi scheme OneCoin used fake reviews on TrustPilot and Quora to lure investors. According to…
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