What Will the Most Common Crypto Scams Stand in 2024?

Scammers are utilizing old and new methods to steal cryptocurrency, and the number of crypto scams is rising. Ponzi schemes, phishing, and rug pull scams are among the most recent forms of financial fraud.

A con artist contacts you by phone and offers a fake cryptocurrency investing website. They use an exaggerated promise of future growth to make you part with your money. After considerable time since you first invested, you may discover that the funds are no longer withdrawable.

Crypto Scams: What Are They?

Although attractive investment possibilities, digital currencies like Ethereum and the widely publicized Bitcoin have existed since 2008 and are not regulated in New Zealand. 

Online scams, fraud, and attacks frequently target cryptocurrency traders and those involved with digital currency trading in general. 

Investors have lost a lot of money because Bitcoin exchanges have been hacked in recent years. Scams promising unrealistic investment returns have lately surfaced on social media. 

These can be pyramid schemes, in which investors are encouraged to recruit others or pretend to have famous New Zealanders’ support.

Many different types of cryptocurrency fraud exist. Crypto scammers will resort to any means to obtain your digital currency. It is essential to be cautious and protect your cryptocurrency from potential theft.

 Some individuals seek digital currency through fraudulent means, much like other financial criminals. Do it with your bank account or credit card. 

You can better safeguard your Bitcoin holdings if you know the signs of a cryptocurrency scam, how to spot them, and what to do if you become a victim.

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Cryptocurrency Scams: A Spectrum

In the grand scheme of things, there are two types of bitcoin scams:

1. Efforts are made to access a person’s password or digital wallet. By obtaining this information, scammers want access to digital wallets or other private information, including security codes. Physical access to devices like computers or smartphones is possible in some situations.
2. One common type of scam is when a con artist poses as a legitimate firm or investor to trick you into sending them your cryptocurrency.

Crypto Scams to Avoid in 2024

Scammers can be resourceful when trying to trick you into giving them your personal information or falling into a trap. 

Because of this, impersonation is a common component in crypto scams, coupled with various meticulously constructed lies that are frequently adapted to the specific victim. 

The following are some of the most prevalent crypto frauds currently in circulation:

Espionage and Blackmail Schemes

According to the (FTC), scammers may use embarrassing personal information, such as images or videos of you, to draw you into a trap. 

If you comply with their demands, they may claim to keep your information private but threaten to make it public. Their requests are consistently the same: immediately wire them a cryptocurrency transfer, and the problem will go away.

Suppose you have been the victim of extortion or blackmail fraud. In that case, the Federal Trade Commission advises contacting the FBI immediately. You should also avoid communicating with the thief and refrain from sending them money.

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“Business Opportunity” Fraudulent Activities

There are a lot of ways this scam can manifest. Still, one standard method is when someone approaches you with a business opportunity that claims it can make you rich. 

Sometimes, con artists will promise you incredible returns—even a doubling or tripling of your crypto assets overnight—hoping you will part with your cryptocurrency.

There are no “guaranteed returns,” particularly in digital assets. Knowing that should be enough to comfort you. Stay away from anyone who calls you, claiming they can magically transform your cryptocurrency into a fortune in no time.

Deceptive Job Posting Schemes

Other times, con artists would use phony job postings or unsolicited job offers to entice unsuspecting victims. Typically, the “jobs” they advertise are related to cryptocurrency, such as mining or finding new investors to partner with.

In any case, you’ll need to pay in cryptocurrency to begin any of these jobs. Scams manifest in several ways. The con artist may try to persuade you to spend more, or they may try to get you to wire money to them, only for their initial deposit to go through.

Scams Related to Giveaways

Free money or any other kind of reward is offered as an incentive for complying with the demands of this sort of scam. It can be difficult to tell who is honest when con artists pretend to be famous or influential people to con unsuspecting victims.

Consider the persistent efforts of crypto scammers to use social media and video to pose as Elon Musk to trick unsuspecting victims into sending them digital assets. 

A Twitter hoax involving Elon Musk called the “Freedom Giveaway” purportedly offered free cryptocurrency to the first thousand new followers who joined up; however, it was all an elaborate hoax.

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Disguising Oneself

There are a lot of impersonation scams out there, like the giveaway scam we mentioned before. To establish credibility, crypto criminals may often pretend to be from legitimate government or law enforcement agencies. 

The next step is for them to convince you that your assets or accounts have been frozen due to an investigation and that you can settle the matter by paying them in cryptocurrency.

On the other hand, they may pretend to be an official representative of a major corporation like Amazon, Microsoft, FedEx, or even your bank to spin a different tale. Whatever lies they tell, the end goal is still the same: to acquire your cryptocurrency.

Frauds Involving Investments

An “investment manager” you’ve never heard of contacts you with a fantastic investment opportunity, according to the FTC. Of course, the first step is to quickly transmit cryptocurrency to their online account or download a wealth-generating program.

Scammers often employ complex investing lingo on seemingly official-looking websites. On the other hand, depending on the platform, you would not be able to withdraw funds or would have to pay a ridiculous cost to access them.

Spear Phishing

Phishing occurs when an individual poses as another entity, often a business, to trick you into divulging sensitive information.

 Sending an email that appears to be from an official source and requesting that you log in to your account is a common tactic crypto phishers use to steal your private crypto wallet keys.

Using a Pump and Dump System

When a gang of con artists band together to promote a particular coin on social media, hoping that unsuspecting individuals will invest in it, they commit the classic “groupthink” fraud. The con artists then coordinate their efforts to artificially inflate the asset’s value until they all make a killing, leaving the newly-hyped investors to foot the bill.

Love Frauds

Lastly, be aware that romantic scams can and do occur in the cryptocurrency industry. Someone commits this kind of scam when they pose as a potential romantic interest on the internet, typically by making up a lot of false information about themselves.

 After months of making you fall head over heels for them, these con artists will ask for cryptocurrency payments or try to convince you to invest in cryptocurrency with them so you may live happily ever after.

However, it was always a sham, and the other person wasn’t who they claimed to be during the love encounter.

Crypto Scam Detection Methods

Several warning signals indicate that someone is trying to defraud you using cryptocurrency. Keep an eye out for these things:

• Anything that sounds too wonderful to be true: Your gut feelings are probably correct if you encounter a cryptocurrency offer that seems too good. You won’t get free cryptocurrency for doing very little. If you look around, you can find promises that aren’t supported by statistics.
• “Pay to play” employment ads: No one working in the cryptocurrency sector should ever be asked to pay to do their job. Only accept a job offer from people who demand payment in advance.
• Guaranteed investment returns are impossible to provide, which is true in cryptocurrency and more conventional financial ventures.
• Disregard any unsolicited contact requesting that you access your cryptocurrency account, send cryptocurrency to settle a dispute, or participate in a business opportunity. This includes emails, phone calls, and texts.

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Preventing Victimization

You can take further measures to safeguard your digital assets, but being vigilant about the crypto scam “red flags” we listed above will help you prevent problems. If you want to stay safe from crypto scams, think about these steps:

• Cold storage is a must for cryptocurrency security. Cold storage is better for protecting your cryptocurrency holdings than “hot storage,” including web-based, mobile, or desktop wallets. A hardware wallet is a gadget you may keep in your home to store your cryptocurrency. With this type of wallet, you can control your cryptocurrency holdings completely.
• Avoid responding to unwanted messages. Cryptocurrency is usually the first topic in suspicious correspondence, such as emails or phone calls, from people who seem eager to talk to you. Only ignore messages from unknown senders if you can confirm their identity and the nature of the message.
• Please confirm the contact details. Never respond to unsolicited emails or calls purporting to come from your bank or any other legitimate business with which you do business. Indeed, the first contact can be fraudulent. Instead of reacting immediately, look for the company’s contact data on its website. Then, call or email them from there.
• Spend some time carefully planning before you invest. Scammers constantly use high-pressure tactics to convince you to buy without giving you time to do your homework, even though there are genuine ways to invest in crypto and other assets. Researching potential partners is an excellent first step if you want to get into investing.

Reporting Crypto Scams: A Guide

Report crypto scams immediately if you become aware of them or if you are a victim of one. To put con artists in prison, you can reach out to the following people:

1. Unfortunately, if you’ve fallen for a crypto scam, recovering your funds is very difficult, if possible. According to the FTC, if you transmit cryptocurrency to someone, they must voluntarily pay it back, or you might say goodbye to your digital assets.
2. That is why it is crucial to recognize the warning signals of a cryptocurrency scam to steer clear of them. The lessons you learn could cost you dearly if you transmit cryptocurrency to the wrong person, divulge your private keys, or fall for a phony employment offer requiring money in advance.

FAQs

1. Cryptocurrency Scams: What Are They?

1. Rug pulls, pig slaughtering, romance promises, phishing, and investment schemes are all examples of such tactics.

1. Is it possible to be defrauded if someone sends you cryptocurrency?

1. Sending cryptocurrency increases your risk of being a scam victim, which can manifest in various ways. Someone may try to build your trust by sending you cryptocurrency. Still, their real intention may be to convince you to transfer them more cryptocurrency.

1. In the history of cryptocurrencies, which frauds were the most significant?

1. The OneCoin, BitConnect, and BitClub Network schemes are among the most massive cryptocurrency frauds ever. These schemes resulted in losses of up to $25 billion, $4 billion, and $722 million, respectively. The charges against Samuel Bankman-Fried were brought about by suspicions of fraud at FTX Trading Ltd. (FTX), which resulted in over $8 billion in client losses towards the end of 2022.

1. Tips for staying safe while dealing with cryptocurrency.”

1. The best defense is vigilance and keeping up with the latest scammers’ methods. Be alert to the telltale signals of these scams, and put your keys somewhere safe, away from your wallet. By storing them on a platform that isn’t linked to the internet, this digital wallet—also called a cold wallet—is protected against cyber hacks, unauthorized access, and other risks that can affect systems connected to the internet.

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