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A new wave of scam emails is targeting Ledger users and attempting to steal their crypto holdings.
The scam emails aim to convince users to activate a security feature called “Ledger Clear Signing” by Oct. 31, so they can continue using their Ledger device.
The emails — sent from addresses not associated with Ledger — direct users to a malicious link to activate the fake security feature. The phishing email says:
<blockquote>
 “To continue using your Ledger device securely, activating Clear Signing is mandatory starting November 1, 2024. This feature is essential in protecting your assets from phishing attacks and fraudulent activities that are becoming more sophisticated.”
</blockquote>
<figure>
 <img alt="Ledger users targeted by malicious ‘clear signing’ phishing email" src="https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2024-10/01928fba-ec34-765d-9ede-b4747dcdf2bb" title="">
 <figcaption style="text-align: center;">
 Scam email impersonating Ledger. Source: Cointelegraph
 </figcaption>
</figure>
Phishing scams deceive users into willingly sharing their account details with scammers. Crypto users should avoid clicking on suspicious links or providing any personal information to unknown sources.
Related: <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/uk-colombia-crypto-exchanges-linked-td-bank-fine" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="null">UK, Colombia crypto exchanges linked in TD Bank record fine</a>
Cointelegraph asked Ledger to comment but had not received any by the time of publication.
Phishing attacks are becoming increasingly common in the crypto space. In May, a <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/trader-loses-68-million-address-poisoning-scam" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="null">trader lost $71 million worth of crypto</a> in the year’s most high-profile phishing attack. The attacker tricked the trader into sending 99% of their funds to the attacker’s address.
<h2 id="scammers-continue-vying-for-ledger-users">Scammers continue vying for Ledger users</h2>
Ledger’s hardware wallets are among the most popular in the industry, making its users prime targets for scammers.
According to Thomas Roccia, senior threat researcher at Microsoft, the current wave of emails is a “very clean Ledger scam.” In a follow-up post, Roccia noted that the scam link redirects users to a URL that is completely unrelated to Ledger.
<figure>
 <img alt="Ledger users targeted by malicious ‘clear signing’ phishing email" src="https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2024-10/01928fbb-afb2-7e2f-b334-60c2373537b2" title="">
 <figcaption style="text-align: center;">
 Scam email impersonating Ledger, urlscan.io. Source: <a href="https://x.com/fr0gger_/status/1846020954935504916/photo/1" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="null">Thomas Roccia</a>
 </figcaption>
</figure>
<h2 id="phishing-attacks-are-a-growing-concern-in-crypto">Phishing attacks are a growing concern in crypto</h2>
Despite their unsophisticated nature, phishing attacks are a growing concern in crypto.
Phishing attacks <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/crypto-phishing-attacks-q3-2024" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_self">stole about $46 million in September</a> from some 10,800 victims, according to the onchain security firm Scam Sniffer. The biggest loss was reported on Sept. 28, when a phishing attack using a <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/user-loses-32-million-sp-weth-sophisticated-phishing-attack" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="null">permit phishing signature drained 12,083 spWETH</a> worth $32.4 million.
Related: <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/sui-price-rally-400-m-insider-selling-allegations" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="null">SUI price rally sparks $400M insider selling allegations</a>
In August, <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/crypto-phishing-attacks-surge-august-215-percent" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="null">crypto phishing attacks</a> surged by over 215%, with $66 million worth of digital assets stolen from around 9,145 victims.
Most of the stolen value in August was attributed to a <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/crypto-whale-loses-55m-phishing-attack" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="null">single large-scale phishing attack</a> worth $55 million.
On Aug. 20, a crypto holder signed a transaction that changed the ownership of 55.5 million Dai (<a href="https://cointelegraph.com/dai-price-index" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="null">DAI</a>) in the decentralized finance protocol Maker.<iframe width="100%" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kyNQ5YoFkWo" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-forms"></iframe>
$3 billion stolen in hacks — Why are crypto crimes surging? Source: YouTube
 Magazine: <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/magazine/10-crypto-theories-that-missed-as-badly-as-peter-todd-is-satoshi/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="null">10 crypto theories that missed as badly as ‘Peter Todd is Satoshi’</a>

Ledger users targeted by malicious ‘clear signing’ phishing email

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