In the first half of 2024, cryptocurrency phishing scams saw a marked uptick in profitability.
According to blockchain research firm Scam Sniffer, these malicious actors successfully stole over $314 million worth of cryptocurrency, a 6.44% increase compared to the previous year.
Notably, $58 million of this total came from just 20 high-value targets, with one victim suffering an $11 million loss – the second-largest individual crypto theft on record.
Scam Sniffer noted that its analysis revealed that these criminals exploited specific wallet signature functions, such as “Permit,” “IncreaseAllowance,” and “Uniswap Permit2,” to gain unauthorized control over victims’ assets. Their tactics also included using impersonated social media accounts to lure targets to phishing websites, where seemingly legitimate transactions would grant scammers access to non-custodial wallets.
Meanwhile, earlier in June 2024, Yu Xian, founder of blockchain security firm SlowMist, issued a warning about the surging number of phishing attempts targeting the TON ecosystem. He drew attention to the escalating threat faced by users’ assets in TON wallets, particularly NFTs and the critically vulnerable Anonymous Telegram Numbers feature.
He explained that these phishing attacks primarily focus on anonymous Telegram Numbers, which users employ to create accounts not tied to traditional SIM cards. These anonymous numbers are also used to change the phone numbers associated with existing accounts, making them highly susceptible to exploitation by scammers.
Adding to these concerns, a recent report by Bitget revealed that deepfake-related crypto fraud has already inflicted staggering losses exceeding $79.1 billion since 2022, with a 245% surge in 2024 alone. Bitget projects that by 2025, quarterly losses from deepfake scams could approach $10 billion despite the concerted efforts to combat this issue. The exchange emphasized the urgent need for long-term planning and preparedness to combat this evolving threat.
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