The FBI has repeated calls urging members of the public not to fall for cryptocurrency investment schemes, after claiming that scammers are using couriers to bypass bank checks.
Financial institutions are increasingly capable of spotting and blocking suspicious fund transfers made by victims to crypto-investment scammers, noted a Public Service Announcement (PSA) on July 15.
However, the fraudsters are adapting.
“Scammers inform victims in-person cash pickups are required to continue investing with the fraudulent investment firm or to pay purported fines to withdraw their investments,” the FBI noted. “Alternatively, the fraudulent cryptocurrency exchange may inform victims their account has been ‘flagged,’ allowing the scammer to suggest the use of cash couriers as an alternative.”
Read more on cryptocurrency investment fraud: New NCA Campaign Warns Men Off Crypto Investment Scams
Once the victim has withdrawn the funds, the scammer will typically issue them with a US dollar bill serial number or another form of code/password.
“When the courier arrives, they show the victim the dollar bill or provide the agreed-upon password to authenticate the courier’s affiliation with the scammer. Once the cash pickup occurs and the courier departs, victims can see an increase in deposits in their virtual wallet displayed on their account with the scammer’s investment platform,” the PSA continued.
“When the victim attempts to withdraw their perceived profits, scammers will begin the loop over by forcing the victim to pay fraudulent taxes and penalties, again using couriers for cash pickups to perpetrate the fraud.”
Victims are usually approached on social media, via unsolicited text, or via “a public persona of a cryptocurrency investment expert,” the report claimed. After establishing a trusted, sometimes romantic, relationship with the victim, they will encourage them to invest in specific crypto trading schemes.
The FBI recorded nearly 73,000 investment fraud cases last year, linked to losses of over $8.6bn – the largest of any cybercrime type.
In the UK it’s a similar picture, according to the latest UK Finance figures released on June 15. Investment fraud accounted for the largest proportion of authorized push payment fraud last year: £221.5m ($297m).
The figure is up 40% year-on-year, with case numbers increasing 26% to 14,893.
FBI Tips to Stay Safe
The FBI urged individuals to:
- Protect personal information, including banking information, and don’t disclose a home address or agree to meet with couriers
- Don’t get drawn into a conversation with an unknown person who gets in touch out of the blue
- Be suspicious of unsolicited communication and contact with strangers; always verify their identity through third parties
- Beware of “love bombing,” a favored tactic of romance scammers
- Do not click on unsolicited pop-up messages on the computer, or open links/attachments sent via unsolicited text messages or email. Never contact telephone numbers in these pop-ups, texts, or emails without verifying first
- Before investing in cryptocurrency, look online for articles or reviews which may show the platform is a scam. Search for any identifying information