The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has warned of
cyber criminals building rogue cryptocurrency-themed apps to
defraud investors in the virtual assets space.
“The FBI has observed cyber criminals contacting U.S. investors,
fraudulently claiming to offer legitimate cryptocurrency investment
services, and convincing investors to download fraudulent mobile
apps, which the cyber criminals have used with increasing success
over time to defraud the investors of their cryptocurrency,” the
agency said[1]
[PDF].
The illicit scheme, which aims to take advantage of increased
interest in the crypto sector, is believed to have netted 244
victims, with losses estimated at $42.7 million between October 4,
2021, and May 13, 2022.
According to the law enforcement authority, threat actors are
misusing the names, logos, and other identifying information of
legitimate businesses to create fake websites in an attempt to lure
potential investors.
In three instances highlighted by the FBI, the scammers
masqueraded as a U.S. financial firm and companies named YiBit and
Supayos (aka Supay) to dupe 34 victims of about $10 million by
tricking the individuals into downloading bogus crypto wallet apps
designed to plunder the digital funds deposited into the
accounts.
“Financial institutions should warn their customers about this
activity and inform customers as to whether they offer
cryptocurrency services,” the FBI cautioned, while urging investors
to be on the lookout for unsolicited requests to download
investment apps from untrusted sources.
Read more https://thehackernews.com/2022/07/fbi-warns-of-fake-cryptocurrency-apps.html