FBI notes an increase in the number of uses of crypto ATMs by scammers
Individual losses of investors range from tens of thousands to millions of dollars
05.10.2022 - 09:00
352
2 min
0
What’s new? On October 3, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a public warning about fraudulent schemes involving cryptocurrencies. As noted in the document, along with regular methods such as wire transfers and prepaid cards, attackers are increasingly using crypto ATMs in their schemes.
Announcement on the FBI website
What is known about this type of scam? The FBI warning says that scammers pose as victims’ long-time friends or potential romantic partners to bilk them out of money. After the attackers gain trust, they begin discussing the topic of investments with victims. More and more often, scammers ask people to use crypto ATMs to transfer funds to supposedly promising projects. Individual losses associated with these schemes range from tens of thousands to millions of dollars, the FBI noted.
According to Coin ATM Radar, there are currently nearly 33 500 cryptocurrency ATMs in the United States, which is 87,4% of the total number of such devices in the world.
In July, the FBI issued a public warning about the emergence of a large number of fraudulent cryptocurrency applications masquerading as real companies and financial institutions. Also, representatives of the bureau told about the main vulnerabilities in DeFi platforms, which can be used by hackers.
At the end of August, the SEC also spoke about the main types of crypto fraud schemes on social networks. The commission urged to be skeptical of information on the Internet and not to make investment decisions solely based on it because the data can create a false impression about the projects’ popularity, profitability, and reliability.
Useful material?
Market
Tether Finance division will be responsible for the issuance and redemption of USDT stablecoins
Apr 18, 2024
Trends
The first project introduced on the platform will be BounceBit (BB)
Apr 18, 2024
Business
The rate exchange of the native ACH token reacted with a 10% increase
Apr 18, 2024
Market
Miners are hunting for the first block after halving as the value of the first satoshi could exceed $1 million
Apr 18, 2024
Market
The platform will be non-custodial and accessible to everyone
Apr 15, 2024
Market
China Asset Management, Harvest Global Investments, and Bosera Asset Management have received permits
Apr 15, 2024