Easily overcoming the mental mark in 10 000 Dollars, bitcoin immediately jumped the bar in 11 thousand, Then, in general, slightly adjusted. While experts and economists are guessing, how long will this breathtaking takeoff last, what it is supported by and whether bitcoin will become a threat to the global economic system, scammers keep their finger on the pulse. How the most popular schemes of wiring with the acquisition and sale of digital currency are arranged - in the material of the media.
Online Scam with Fraudulent Internet Resources
Countless fraudulent Internet resources of cryptocurrency exchanges and bitcoin exchange services are one of the proven methods of enrichment for criminals. Changing one letter in URL, they make fake copies of web resources, on which you can store or exchange bitcoins, ethers and other cryptographic currency.
The goal of phishers is to steal registration data or force the user to make transactions with digital currency., which will eventually end up in the wallets of crooks.
Search engines often do not inspect, is the website real or is it a clone of it. As a result - in marketing issuance (contextual ads, Show?? on top of search results. - Comment. Red.) phishing resources float up, which are clicked by a large number of users.
For example, for example, looks like a phishing resource wallet for digital currency Ethereum ("ether"), which is located at https://myetherwallt[.]com and having an error in the title ("Wallt" instead of "wallet").
© Myetherwallt
Fake site myetherwallt.com
And here is an advertisement for the 1st fraudulent clone of the wallet with the address myethlerwallet[.]eu. curious, that it is shown in the search results immediately over the official website of the Ethereum wallet - MyEtherWallet.com.
Contextual advertising of the fake site myethlerwallet.eu
Pyramids and bitcoin deposits
On those, who already has a certain number of digital currency and the desire to increase it, targeted by creators of MLM structures. They give bitcoins to invest, by putting them on deposit, and promise the highest efficiency - for example,, two-3% per day.
One of the last similar projects is Trinity, launched this summer. For about 3 months, the service regularly paid funds, attracting customers through the referral program: interest on the deposit could be increased at the expense of enticed people.
“Ultimately Trinity collapsed, being an example of traditional pyramids, which were previously used in other systems, and now they began to apply to cryptocurrency", — notes Evgeny Kaminsky, founder of the company "Cryptomir", cryptocurrency trader and miner.
© USI Tech
USI Tech Bitcoin Investment Platform
Via Skype and Qiwi wallet
The scammer negotiates with a potential buyer to sell bitcoins using a Qiwi wallet. The seller asks to open Skype and show the wallet screen, ostensibly to make sure, that there is money. Further, under any pretext (for example, in order to check the operation of the system) he asks for a voucher.
"The generated code is displayed on the screen, in the meantime, the attacker is pampering the client, he activates this code in his wallet, and the buyer immediately loses his money.", Kaminsky explains..
© RIA Novosti
Website of the electronic payment system QIWI
Triple scheme
In a triple scheme, the bitcoin seller, usually, does not participate – only the fraudster and his victim interact. Usually, a deceiver sells some popular product on the Internet, for example an iPhone, at too low a price. The seller requires prepayment on the card, but the credit card does not give its own, and a bitcoin seller, which the, in its turn, expects money for cryptocurrency from a scammer.
As a result, the bitcoin seller receives a money transfer, scammer – bitcoins, and the man, who wanted to pay for an iPhone, left with nothing.
IN 99% bitcoin seller does not know cases, that he receives money from a third party. But the deceived buyer writes a statement to the police on him - after all, there is the same card data., to which he transferred the money.
"Cloud mining"
Another scam, related to bitcoins, - "Cloud mining". As a matter of fact, it allows you to mine cryptocurrency without hardware and software, for a certain amount by renting computing power.
© CoinMix
Cloud mining CoinMix
"On 90% "Cloud mining" is a divorce. Such sites give access to the counter, which supposedly reflects the mining process, but when you try to withdraw something there is a "technical problem" or pennies are credited to the client's account", – explains the cryptocurrency trader.
Provide a service of fair "cloud mining" can, usually, only manufacturers of equipment for cryptocurrency mining, for example Bitmain. This is their side business, and they do have spare capacity, which are offered for rent.
Divorce on the street and crime
Interest in cryptocurrency is so great, that it is also used by street kidals. So, in October, in Obninsk, a local resident purchased two "bitcoins" from his hands, paying a thousand rubles for them. Sellers informed a gullible customer, that bitcoins "are constantly becoming more expensive and in November you can earn several thousand on their course".
Souvenir bitcoin cryptocurrency coin at MaRSe Bitcoin Center in Moscow
Experts emphasize: at the moment there are no physical "equivalents" of bitcoin. You can buy only souvenir or collectible coins with the image of his badge. At one time, attempts were made to make "tangible" bitcoins.
This is how Casascius coins appeared., in which a piece of paper with a cryptographic key is embedded, covered with hologram. This code allowed you to get access to the wallet and use up the nominal value. However, when the creators have problems with the legislation, the project was closed.
The hunt for cryptocurrency turns into an outright racketeering.. In mid-November, in the center of Moscow, a man stole bitcoins on 15 million rubles. When the owner of the cryptocurrency transferred it from his electronic account to the buyer's account, and the participants of the meeting waited for confirmation of the transfer, the seller was about to pick up the cash. But suddenly, six bearded men walked into the office and, threatening violence, took away a bag with money. Later found out, that the parties did not sign any documents on the transaction.
