A lot of cryptocurrency has been lost recently by users of the privacy-focused search engine DuckDuckGo who fell for hacking scams. After searching for “Etherscan” (a popular Ethereum block viewer) on DuckDuckGo, fake websites starting showing up that looked like the real Etherscan platform. This led to the scam. Cryptocurrency buyers, especially those who use Ethereum, were at great risk on these fake websites.
On September 11, the anti-scam group Scam Sniffer warned DuckDuckGo users about continuing phishing efforts aimed at Ethereum buyers. The fake websites told people to connect their MetaMask wallets, which are widely used to handle Ethereum assets. Once they were linked, the hackers were able to get to the victims’ money and take out cryptocurrency without asking for permission first.
Phishing attacks are becoming more dangerous
Fraudsters have also been trying to get fake Etherscan websites to rank on Google, Bing, and other big search engines. Either they change the results of organic searches or they use paid ads to get people to click on their links. In one very bad case, a user lost more than $520,000 in cryptocurrency after giving their permission for a fake transaction.
There have been more hacking attacks in the crypto world, and costs have gone up by 215% in the last year. Someone in Dai lost $55 million in a phishing scam. The number of people who have fallen for these scams has gone down since last year, but the amount of money lost has gone through the roof.
More danger in the crypto space
The scary rise in phishing scams aimed at cryptocurrency users makes it even more important to be extra careful. Before investors connect their wallets or sign any deals, they should always check the website URLs. There are more and more sophisticated hacking schemes because digital assets are becoming more and more popular. Users need to be extra careful to protect their assets.
People who use cryptocurrencies can lower their chances of falling for these scams by learning about them and keeping up to date on them.
