Discord Scammers Lure Users to Fake Exchange With Promise of Free Bitcoin
The scammers may be trying to collect a database of crypto users for sale on the dark web, said Kaspersky.
Discord Scammers Lure Users to Fake Exchange With Promise of Free Bitcoin
Scammers have been targeting users on Discord, the chat server platform popular with gamers, by offering them free bitcoin or ethereum on a fake exchange platform.
- The fraudsters targeted Discord users on cryptocurrency-focused servers, sending them private messages purporting to be from a new exchange giving away cryptocurrency, according to a Kaspersky Daily report on Thursday.
- Potential victims are told to register with the exchange, offering up personal data in the process, and either make a small cryptocurrency deposit or go through a fake know-your-customer (KYC) identity check to complete the process.
- When victims try and claim their free crypto, they are asked to top up the account with an amount such as 0.02 BTC (worth $750 at press time) or the equivalent in ether or U.S. dollars.
- Claiming the free crypto appears to work, crediting the user’s exchange account with the promised amount, but, when a withdrawal is attempted, it fails.
- The supposed exchange, called “withEREUM,” has been convincingly designed to look authentic, even touting two-factor authentication, said Kaspersky.
- As well as nabbing visitors’ crypto, the scammers may be collecting a database of crypto users, per the report, which could “fetch a nice price on the dark web.”
