Scam warning – malicious Telegram group soliciting users to send NEO

Neo has released a warning that a malicious Telegram-based group is soliciting users to donate NEO as part of a “giveaway” campaign.

Potential victims are added to a Telegram group intended to trick users into thinking it is the official Neo group through the use of a similar name, logo, and inflated member numbers. Fake group members will then share images and messages claiming to have successfully participated in the “giveaway” to encourage others to send tokens.

Private messages are sometimes also used. This contact is fraudulent and not in any way associated with official Neo accounts. In its announcement, Neo notes that it “will never ask for your addresses [or private information] for any activity.”

Neo Global Development, Neo Foundation, or any other Neo associated entities will also never ask individuals to send funds to participate in “giveaways.”

The official Neo Twitter page reported the scam, as seen below:

Although these scams are common, it is prudent to remember that any such outreach should be viewed with utmost skepticism.

Neo users may note other scam attempts in the past claiming to offer token swaps associated with the Neo3 MainNet update. At this time, there is no official timeline or mechanism for the Neo3 token swap.

Another recent attack vector was the distribution of malicious software claiming to be updates for COZ’s Neon Wallet, O3 Labs’ O3 Wallet, and NGD’s Neo3-GUI. The updates, claiming to be mandatory for security reasons, attempt to lure victims into entering their private keys in order to steal funds.

Telegram scam attempting to distribute malicious wallet software

Caution should always be exerted when consuming information not shared via an official Neo channel, such as neo.org or the Neo Twitter account, directly from developer groups, or from a trusted outlet such as Neo News Today.