Cybersecurity company Kaspersky shared the latest scam tactics on December 24, where scammers publicly share wallet seed phrases in YouTube comment sections, claiming to need help transferring wallet funds to entice victims.
Starting from the seed phrase, the content of scam comments is fully decrypted.
Kaspersky states that such scam comments typically appear in finance-related videos, usually saying, 'I have some USDT in my wallet and a seed phrase, but I don't know how to transfer it to another wallet, who can help me?' The comment even includes the complete seed phrase.
For those who understand cryptocurrency, this approach is quite suspicious. The seed phrase is the core key of the wallet and cannot be shared with others; scammers use 'seemingly harmless requests' to lure victims.
Scammers entice victims by leaving comments under YouTube finance videos. Those who are greedy for small gains end up becoming victims of the trap.
Kaspersky pointed out that if a malicious speculator sees the comment and uses the seed phrase to access the wallet, they may find it contains up to $8,000 worth of USDT. When they try to transfer the funds to their own wallet, they find that:
TRX fees required: Transferring TRC20 tokens requires TRX as a fee, but there is not enough TRX in the wallet.
Fees intercepted: When speculators try to transfer TRX from their own wallets, these TRX are immediately transferred to a third-party wallet.
It turns out this is a multi-signature wallet that requires multiple authorizations to transfer funds. As a result, the speculative TRX fees become the scammers' gain.
Using large amounts of USDT to lure in speculators. Scammers set traps exploiting human nature.
Kaspersky emphasizes that scammers impersonate cryptocurrency novices to set traps, luring those attempting to take advantage or who have moral ambiguities. These scammers understand that a few speculators may attempt to access wallets to steal funds, instead leading these individuals into traps and making them victims. This scam method exploits the psychology of 'free lunch,' making people feel like they have gained something, but in reality, they suffer significant losses.
TRX fees are the main target of the scammers. Three key points to avoid becoming a victim.
Never attempt to access someone else's wallet: even if the other party actively provides the seed phrase, do not try to use it; it is illegal and may lead you into a trap.
Regularly update scam tactics: Stay alert and keep up with the latest scams related to cryptocurrency.
Strengthen your protective measures: Use antivirus software and two-factor authentication to ensure your devices and wallets are secure, avoiding becoming the next victim.
(Visa annual report warns against the latest fancy scam tactics 'digital pickpocketing')
This article on cryptocurrency scams! YouTube comments assist in transferring funds, offering seed phrases, with TRX fees being the core of the scam, first appearing in Chain News ABMedia.
