FBI Warns of Crypto Scams Against the Spread of COVID-19

The Federal Bureau of Investigation warns that scammers do not have quarantine, and they intend to use cryptocurrencies to implement their fraudulent intentions. Scammers target victims regardless of their age. The FBI reports:

«Fraudsters are leveraging increased fear and uncertainty during the COVID-19 pandemic to steal your money and launder it through the complex cryptocurrency ecosystem.»

Scam can be carried out by the traditional method, for example, blackmail, but with the so-called “twist”: the scammer threatens to infect you or your family with a coronavirus if the payment is not sent to a Bitcoin wallet. Agents are sure that scammers will adapt to the current situation. Some of them may pose as workers who collect “donations” by e-mail or equipment suppliers working outside established e-commerce.

A recent Chainalysis research found that revenue from crypto scam has declined since the beginning of the year. At the same time, the activity of scammers is gaining momentum. Agents advise Internet users to use common sense, check the legitimacy of suppliers and inform law enforcement authorities of blackmail and extortion attempts.

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