​New type of fraud with the “state cryptocurrency” has been revealed in Russia

What’s new? Experts at Kaspersky Lab have published material detailing a new fraud scheme related to investments in “state cryptocurrency.” Emails on behalf of the “regulator” inform users about the launch of the Russian state cryptocurrency and offer to become one of the early investors. As of the end of February, several thousand such emails had been detected.

Warning on the company’s website

Details of the scheme. The letters usually talk about the imminent launch of the state cryptocurrency, which, according to some financial experts, is supposedly “ready for serious growth.” Users are then prompted to click on a link and join the investment program.

When the user clicks the link, they are directed to a page with a description of the project, allegedly launched by a well-known entrepreneur, for example, Pavel Durov. After that, the user is prompted to visit the website of the project, which allegedly allows the user to increase their investments. Fraudsters place fake voice messages of the project author describing the investment scheme, as well as fake positive feedback from other depositors on such pages for the sake of convincing. When a deposit is made, the funds of the victim go to the wallets of criminals.

Kaspersky Lab recommends carefully checking the information in the received emails, including the sender’s address and data sources. One should also be wary of offers of easy income and quick earnings, promotions, and generous payments. It is highly discouraged to click on dubious links and leave personal and payment data on third-party websites.

Andrey Kovtun, email threats protection group manager at Kaspersky Lab, noted that criminals are trying to adapt content to the current news agenda. So, at the end of February, Deputy Governor of the Bank of Russia Olga Skorobogatova really announced the launch of a pilot project on transactions with the digital ruble starting April 1. Testing will be conducted on real transactions and customers.

According to PeckShield, crypto hacker activity in January decreased by 93% compared to the same period last year, from $121,4 million to $8,8 million. In February, hackers created a fake ETHDenver conference website with the ability to link MetaMask wallets. They managed to steal about $300 000.