The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a warning about scammers pretending to be affiliated with crypto exchanges to steal users’ funds.
According to the FBI, scammers are contacting their targets through calls or messages and presenting themselves as employees of a crypto exchange. They would claim that there are problems with the user’s account or that someone is attempting to compromise their exchange accounts.
The malicious actors often try to rattle their potential victims and convey that the user must urgently act to protect their accounts.
At this point, scammers would try to get users to provide access codes, click on a link or provide identification information. This would allow the scammers to access the user’s account and steal their digital assets.
FBI warns users to not respond to such calls or messages
The FBI said that if crypto users receive a call or message indicating problems with the account, the first action must be to “not respond.” The government agency asked users to do this even if the call or message appears official. The FBI wrote:
“Hang up. Call the cryptocurrency exchange’s official phone number to verify if there is a problem. Do not use any phone number the caller provides.”
Furthermore, the FBI asked users to refrain from going to any websites or clicking links that the caller sends. The agency said it would be better to navigate to the official exchange separately.
If the caller asks for the login details, the FBI urges users to refrain from providing the information and avoid downloading files and attachments on the messages.
Lastly, the FBI asked victims to report any activities related to the scam to their official channels. The agency also asked victims to provide transaction information associated with the scam.
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