Fake cryptocurrency scams hit Threads

Cybercriminals have taken advantage of the launch of Threads, Meta’s new social network, to distribute malicious campaigns encouraging victims to buy fake cryptocurrencies, as well as invest large amounts of money to get thousands of followers for free.

Kaspersky’s researchers have discovered that, due to the hype generated by this service, which already has more than 100 million subscribers, cybercriminals have taken advantage of the situation to distribute different malicious campaigns.

According to experts from this cybersecurity firm, the goal of cybercriminals is to convince users to provide their login credentials.

Taking into account that Threads is linked to other Meta services, such as Instagram and Facebook, it poses a danger to users, since both the data from this social network and its other platforms would be exposed to cybercriminals. In addition to this, this linking of accounts also poses risks to corporate finances, since many companies use these accounts to launch advertising campaigns with ‘online’ payments, according to Kaspersky.

One of the scams detected with the launch of Threads has been the buying and selling of cryptocurrencies. Specifically, from Threads Coin, which supposedly drives this social network and offers improvements between the physical and digital world within the metaverse.

These coins do not exist, so users buy fake assets through Ethereum thinking they will get their investment back later, when in fact they end up in the hands of cybercriminals.

They have also found a new way to scam users, and that is by offering them the possibility of generating followers in Threads for free. In this way, you can opt for 10,000, 25,000 or 50,000 ‘followers’.

Once the desired amount has been chosen, the user is asked to verify it by sending an SMS, which includes the possibility of winning a prize. To claim it, a payment is requested that the malicious actors receive.

Protect yourself against cyberattacks

From this company specialized in cybersecurity solutions, they insist that “in order to stay protected, you must be wary of and analyze any suspicious activity, taking the appropriate security measures against this type of threat”, in the words of the Kaspersky security expert, Olga Svistunova.

Therefore, it is advisable to be cautious when downloading ‘software’ from the Internet, verify that the download site is legitimate, use a strong and unique password for each service and pay special attention to suspicious links and emails, apart from using a solution of security.

Source: dpa

(Reference image source: Art Rachen, Unsplash)

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