For our crypto-investor friends out there, it’s important to keep tabs on crypto-scammers’ activities too — with that in mind, here’s what we’ve found at Trend Micro this week.

MetaMask Phishing

MetaMask, designed for the Ethereum blockchain, is one of the biggest cryptocurrency wallet platforms — and this makes it a prime target for crypto scammers. Netizens have reportedly been receiving bogus SMS messages under the guise of an official MetaMask security alert.

SMS Content:

“we inform you that your wallet will be suspended if you do not activate the sms authentication system: hxxps://login-metamask[.]io/”

The aim of these phishing attacks is to panic and pressure users into rashly following the link in order to resolve the issue. The problem is the link will lead to a fake page (as below) — and upon entering information, users will have their security details compromised.  

Sextortion Attempt

This next attack is a little different from the above, but utilizes the anonymity of cryptocurrency for criminal ends — hence why we’re counted this as a crypto-scam.

Would-be victims have reported receiving alarming emails in which the sender claims to have access to the victim’s device via a Trojan virus. The scammer claims to have videographic evidence of the victim’s sexual and pornographic activities — content which will be released if the victim doesn’t pay a ransom via bitcoin. Stay strong and don’t fall for it!

Users can find records of other similar attacks here.

Protect Yourself with Trend Micro ScamCheck

• Double-check people’s contact details — and URLs.
• Reach out to official websites and support pages directly for help if in doubt.
• NEVER use links or buttons from unknown sources! Use Trend Micro ScamCheck to detect scams with ease: ScamCheck is an all-in-one browser extension and mobile app for detecting scams, phishing attacks, malware, and dangerous links — and it’s FREE!

Check out this page for more information on ScamCheck. For smartphones (where much crypto trading takes place) we’d recommend Trend Micro Mobile Security. Its cloud-based Smart Protection Network™ and Mobile App Reputation technology will stop threats before they even reach you.

If you’d like to read more, you can visit our dedicated cryptocurrency news page. Finally, if you’ve found this article to be a helpful and/or interesting read, please do SHARE with friends and family to help keep the online community secure and protected.