{"id":431023,"date":"2020-07-16T20:00:39","date_gmt":"2020-07-16T20:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ktsl888.com\/?p=431023"},"modified":"2020-07-16T15:50:22","modified_gmt":"2020-07-16T15:50:22","slug":"common-bitcoin-scams-how-to-avoid-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ktsl888.com\/news\/common-bitcoin-scams-how-to-avoid-them\/","title":{"rendered":"The Most Common Bitcoin Scams And How To Avoid Them"},"content":{"rendered":"
Yesterday, high-profile Twitter celebrities and other influential accounts were hacked to promote a Bitcoin scam.<\/p>\n
The scam isn’t uncommon and is just one of many that involve cryptocurrency in some way. To help investors avoid scams like these, we’re highlighting the most common crypto-related scams and how to avoid them.<\/p>\n
Bitcoin was recently trending on the popular social media platform Twitter, but for all the wrong reasons<\/a>.<\/p>\n Late last night, hackers gained access<\/a> to the accounts of Kanye and Kim Kardashian West, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and several other big names.<\/p>\n Even democratic part presidential frontrunner Joe Biden’s account was compromised.<\/p>\n Related Reading | Lobbyist, Filmmaker, Cryptocurrency Scammer: Who Is Jack Abramoff?<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n All accounts were used to post a message and a BTC wallet address. The character-limited tweets included offering users a sum of BTC for free.<\/p>\n But to get the free handout, users first had to send Bitcoin to the wallet address.<\/p>\n Then, the hackers claimed users would be sent back double. In this case, hackers made off with over $120,000, $40,000 of it just from one individual alone.<\/p>\n It’s yet another sad case of scammers taking advantage of greed or lack of education. But it’s certainly not the only case.<\/p>\n In fact, several different types of Bitcoin-related scams currently exist, and new ones appear each day. Here are some of the most common crypto scams and how to avoid them.<\/p>\n Cryptocurrency giveaways<\/a>, just like what took place recently at such a large scale and with high profile accounts, are actually quite common.<\/p>\n These types of scams, however, don’t use actual celebrity accounts, but imposter accounts that bear a close resemblance.<\/p>\n Users are invited to send BTC or other crypto to a wallet address, and once they have done so will magically receive double the amount they spent.<\/p>\n This type of scam regularly leads to stolen funds, but could not be more obvious. If it seems to good to be true, it very well likely is.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It is especially important to double and triple-check any URL has been typed correctly when visiting a cryptocurrency exchange, and following any links via email or online can be risky.<\/p>\n Fake emails and websites have been cleverly designed<\/a> to dupe investors into entering sensitive information such as passwords.<\/p>\n Once hackers gain access to this info, they use it to hijack funds.<\/p>\n SIM-card swaps have resulted in wealthy crypto investors losing millions and millions in funds<\/a>. Hackers duplicate the SIM-card of a user’s cell phone, which allows them to spoof the phone number onto a new phone.<\/p>\n Related Reading | Crypto SIM Hack: Somber Reminder To Never Invest More Than You Can Afford to Lose<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Hackers then intercept sensitive two-factor authentication codes sent via text message, and utilize them to gain unauthorized access to accounts. They then drain the accounts of the funds entirely.<\/p>\n Relying on Google Authenticator over text message-based two-factor is the easy fix here. But some investors learn the hard way.<\/p>\nCommon Cryptocurrency Scams: How To Spot and Avoid Them<\/h2>\n
Twitter Crypto Giveaways<\/h3>\n
Email and Website Phishing Scams<\/h3>\n
SIM-Card Swaps<\/h3>\n
Bitcoin Blackmail Emails<\/h3>\n