Researchers of the Kaspersky Discovered by a new malicious campaign, during which scammers are trying to steal Toncoins (TON) from Telegram users.
This campaign is active from November 2023 and takes advantage of the growing popularity of both the Telegram Open Network (TON) as well as the platform Telegram.
Hackers target users around the world and in many cases the scams are successful. Perpetrators attract unsuspecting users Telegram through a referral system, luring them with promises of a "exclusive profit plan“.
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The scammers instruct victims to participate in a scam unofficial Telegram bot, which is supposed to be used for the storage cryptocurrency. Users are required to link it to a legitimate wallet. At the same time, they are given the order to buy Toncoins through official channels, such as the official Telegram bot, P2P markets or cryptocurrency exchanges. In this way, they try to give a sense of credibility and Security. The newly purchased TON must be transferred immediately to the crypto wallet bot - it is supposed to act as your personal account in the "profit system", which the fraudsters can control.
The victims are then forced to buy "boosters" through a separate bot. These boosters, labelled "bike", "car", "train", "plane" or "rocket", are available at various prices, ranging from 5 to 500 Toncoins. The money ends up with the scammers.
“The "boosters" are advertised by the scammers as Tools allowing users to earn with their coins." explained the Olga Svistunova, senior web content analyst at Kaspersky. "This scheme is similar to boosters in online games - by buying one, the user gets extra benefits“.
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The scammers then tell the victims that in order to make a profit they must create private Telegram groups with Friends, also sending them referral links and training videos pre-recorded by the scammers. In this way, the scam spreads.
Kaspersky experts warned users not to succumb to promises of get-rich-quick schemes and recommended vigilance when dealing with transactions crypto.
Protection from crypto scams
The first and most important practice is the Education. You need to know the basics about cryptocurrencies, how they work and how to use them safely.
Second, we need to be careful with the platforms and the services you use to buy, sell or store your crypto. Choose only reputable platforms with a good reputation and safe measures.
See also: Former Amazon engineer jailed for hacking two crypto exchanges
Third, you must be always vigilant for fraud. This can mean regularly checking the latest news and the latest news and updates about cryptocurrency scams and being wary of any offer that seems too good to be true.
Finally, you must use strong safety measures, such as different passwords for various platforms, password management, procedures verification of two factors and encrypted connections.
Source : www.infosecurity-magazine.com
