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Discord Scammers Lure Users to Fake Exchange With Promise of Free Bitcoin

The scammers may be trying to collect a database of crypto users for sale on the dark web, said Kaspersky.

By Tanzeel Akhtar
Updated Sep 14, 2021, 12:07 p.m. Published Feb 4, 2021, 1:42 p.m.
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Scammers have been targeting users on Discord, the chat server platform popular with gamers, by offering them free bitcoin or ethereum on a fake exchange platform.

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  • The fraudsters targeted Discord users on cryptocurrency-focused servers, sending them private messages purporting to be from a new exchange giving away cryptocurrency, according to a Kaspersky Daily report on Thursday.
  • Potential victims are told to register with the exchange, offering up personal data in the process, and either make a small cryptocurrency deposit or go through a fake know-your-customer (KYC) identity check to complete the process.
  • When victims try and claim their free crypto, they are asked to top up the account with an amount such as 0.02 BTC (worth $750 at press time) or the equivalent in ether or U.S. dollars.
  • Claiming the free crypto appears to work, crediting the user's exchange account with the promised amount, but when a withdrawal is attempted it fails.
  • The supposed exchange, called "withEREUM" in this case (the scam changes such details regularly to keep it fresh), has been convincingly designed to look authentic, even touting two-factor authentication, said Kaspersky.
  • As well as nabbing visitors' crypto, the scammers may be collecting a database of crypto users, per the report, which could "fetch a nice price on the dark web."

Read more: Substack Newsletters Are Being Used to Spread Crypto Scams

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