Cybercrime Surge: Hackers Exploit Crypto and Scams Across the Globe in September cover art

Cybercrime Surge: Hackers Exploit Crypto and Scams Across the Globe in September

Cybercrime Surge: Hackers Exploit Crypto and Scams Across the Globe in September

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Hey folks, Scotty here—and if you thought internet scams were slowing down, let me assure you: September’s been a hacker’s playground. Let’s dive in fast—because the tech crooks don’t wait and neither do I.

First, the crypto world just took an absolute beating. In August alone, phishing scams siphoned off more than $12 million and hit over 15,000 victims, a record high for the year according to ScamSniffer and TradingView. That’s a huge jump—nearly 67% up from July—and; for those keeping score, a single user lost a gut-wrenching $3 million after signing one dodgy transaction. Most of these attacks rode on the back of EIP-7702 signature scams, where hackers exploited Ethereum’s batch signature capabilities. Three major incidents accounted for nearly half the losses, with the scammers luring victims into signing away access to their crypto wallets via malicious transactions. Imagine clicking a link because it “feels official”—next thing you know, you’re watching your wallet get drained.

Let’s switch gears to scams that hit a little closer to home—literally. In Florida, the Coconut Creek Police had to warn locals after a woman got tricked by Bitcoin scammers impersonating Coinbase. She got a convincingly urgent text about her password being changed and, following their instructions, these social engineering maestros walked away with control of her account. All it took was a fake sense of urgency.

Don’t think you’re safe just because you don’t dabble in crypto. Old school scams are thriving with new tricks. Ever get a call about missing jury duty, demanding you pay up to avoid jail? Well, now scammers are sending links to phony “government” sites to swindle birthdates, Social Security numbers, and card info—all under the guise of the county clerk. KFIZ recently reported how these fakes even tell folks to pay at “government cryptocurrency kiosks,” which, surprise, only send your cash to cyber crooks.

Internationally, digital arrest scams are spreading in India, with scammers pushing video calls to look official and demanding fines for fabricated offenses like tax evasion. Scamicide just put spotlight again on the relentless Mavis Wanczyk Powerball winner scam. Eight years later, new variants of this so-called “cash grant” lure are hitting inboxes and social media, promising free money for just a little personal info. Don’t bite.

Wherever you are, here’s the golden rule: If someone is urgent, asks for sensitive info, or only wants payment through crypto, gift cards, or wire transfer—step away! Check URLs for typos, only use official channels, and bookmark your wallets and banks. And for my fellow crypto nerds, never give out your seed phrase, double-check those transaction addresses, and enable two-factor authentication.

Thanks for tuning in and geeking out with me, Scotty. Subscribe for more scam-spotting, tech goodness, and keep your accounts locked down. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

For more http://www.quietplease.ai

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