United

ZachXBT

The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a warning to employees at digital asset firms regarding the latest attempt by North Korea to steal crypto.
In a Sept. 3 notice, the FBI <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://www.ic3.gov/Media/Y2024/PSA240903" rel="null" target="null" text="null">said</a> North Korean malicious cyber actors were targeting workers at decentralized finance and cryptocurrency companies to steal funds through “complex and elaborate” social engineering campaigns. 
Specifically, the federal agency warned that the scammers had researched firms associated with cryptocurrency-tied exchange-traded funds, or ETFs.
<h2 id="how-the-scam-works">How the scam works</h2>
The actors employed schemes including fake offers of employment or investment opportunities and impersonating well-known individuals associated “with certain technologies” to trick users. The scammers may then provide a link to a “pre-employment test” or another download to install malware.
“The actors usually attempt to initiate prolonged conversations with prospective victims to build rapport and deliver malware in situations that may appear natural and non-alerting,” said the FBI, adding:
<blockquote>
 “The actors usually communicate with victims in fluent or nearly fluent English and are well versed in the technical aspects of the cryptocurrency field.”
</blockquote>
<figure>
 <img alt="FBI warns of North Korean ’social engineering’ schemes to steal crypto" name="" src="https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2024-09/0191b951-176c-7d75-8914-6142ea1b6946">
 <figcaption style="text-align: center;">
 Source: FBI
 </figcaption>
</figure>
Since 2017, North Korean hackers have <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/north-korean-hackers-stolen-crypto" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" text="null">stolen roughly $3 billion in crypto</a> using such schemes. The Lazarus Group, a group of hackers tied to the reclusive nation, has allegedly been responsible for many high-profile attacks targeting crypto users.
Related: <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/zachxbt-claims-21-north-korea-crypto-devs-making-500k-month" rel="null" target="null" text="null">ZachXBT claims 21 North Korea crypto devs are making $500K a month</a>
The FBI has issued several warnings related to crypto scammers, including those <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/fbi-warning-crypto-scams-exchange" rel="null" target="null" text="null">impersonating employees of crypto exchanges</a> and targeting users to compromise their accounts. In June, the federal agency said malicious actors had posed as employees of law firms offering fake crypto recovery services.
Magazine: <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/magazine/korean-scammer-face-coinswitch-warns-wazirx-asia-express/" rel="null" target="null" text="null">$12.1M fraud suspect with ‘new face’ arrested, crypto scam boiler rooms busted: Asia Express</a>

FBI warns of North Korean ’social engineering’ schemes to steal crypto

Table of Contents

Cointelegraph

Other articles published on Sep 3, 2024

Aave, Sky float partnership to bridge DeFi, TradFi

Bitcoin (BTC) Price Taps $59K, Dogwifhat (WIF) Skyrockets 12% Daily (Market Watch)

RWA Space is About to Gain Mainstream Attention: Mantra (OM) Price to Become the Top 5th Token!

South Korea Probes Upbit, Exchanges Under New Crypto Laws

#SaferTogether: All that happened at TikTok’s safety summit in Nairobi

Is the SEC Lagging Behind in Digital Asset Regulation?

Join our free newsletter for daily crypto updates!