Crypto Scams: Fraudsters Posing As Job Recruiters To Spread Malware

Crypto scamsters have just discovered a new way of taking in their victims – presenting as employment recruiters on professional network sites. Famous cyber detective Taylor Monahan, on the platform X under @tayvano_ had just made a dire revelation to her 85 000 followers. According to her, the fraudsters exploit such websites like LinkedIn in getting them job seekers to trap malware posing as a genuine offer of employment. According to Monahan, who is affiliated with the crypto wallet’s security division, MetaMask, schemes are getting more sophisticated.

In a long thread, Monahan shared screenshots of fake job postings aimed at gullible applicants. A “Business Development Lead” at a fake company called ‘Halliday’ posted an annual salary of $300,000 to $350,000. This listing targeted senior-level professionals and, therefore, had a better chance of attracting serious applicants.

How Trap Unfolds

After initiating conversations, scammers asked candidates to answer preliminary questions before proceeding to record a video response. At this stage, a pop-up appears requesting access to the candidate’s camera or microphone. If access fails, another prompt appears, claiming an issue with the system’s hardware and directing victims to “fix” the problem.

“Once you follow their instructions, Chrome prompts you to update or restart to resolve the issue. This update is malicious and grants the scammers backdoor access to your system,” Monahan warned in her post. She emphasized that attackers use varied approaches tailored to the victim’s operating system, be it Mac, Windows, or Linux.

Threat To Crypto Wallets

This malware gives cybercriminals unauthorized access to the victim’s device, allowing them to steal into the crypto wallet and siphon off the funds. With cryptocurrencies being anonymous and less traceable, most victims find it hard to recover their assets. The trend of crypto scams is bigger than this.

The FBI recently warned of increased sophistication in crypto scams. The Washington State Department of Financial Institutions’ Securities Division reported the same tactics in July. Scammers posing as professors or academicians on Facebook, WhatsApp, and Telegram have also increased their fraudulent activities.

Cybersecurity professionals, including Monahan, also urge individuals to remain vigilant regarding ongoing scams and heed community alerts. Binance co-founder Yi He had previously raised an alarm about an impersonation scam on X, where attackers misused her identity to promote a fake crypto token.

Scams are becoming progressively sophisticated. Users need to be more careful, read job postings carefully, and refuse granting superfluous permissions so that a user does not fall into such bad traps.

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