Since the beginning of 2021, victims of crypto scams have lost more than $ 1 billion (about 61.9 billion rubles), informs Engadget portal with links to the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Thus, from January 2021 to March 2022, more than 46,000 people filed complaints with the FTC about fraud in the digital assets space. On average, each victim lost about 2.6 thousand (about 161 thousand rubles).
It is also reported that Bitcoin (70%), Tether (10%), and Ethereum (9%) are the most popular among cybercriminals.
Investment fraud is considered the most popular type of fraud. Victims of this type of crypto scam lost about $575 million (about 35.6 billion rubles). Typically, investment scams target newcomers with high returns on investment.
In addition, scammers seized up to $185 million using social networks and dating apps. A type of scam in which attackers engage in a virtual romantic relationship with the victim to lure them into an “investment project” has gained particular popularity.
It’s worth noting that the FTC report doesn’t show the whole picture – the scope of scammers in this area could be much broader. The agency estimates that less than 5% of defrauded investors report it.
Formerly socialbites.ca saidIt was noted that interest in the profiles of programmers in dating applications increased.