The British Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has warned investors of a fraudulent company posing as the Swiss Investment Corporation, an FCA-authorized firm offering crypto investments, and another company that is a clone of Goldman Sachs, the regulator announced on June 14. The financial regulator has blacklisted a firm operating under the domain swissinvest.biz. According to the announcement, the fraudulent clone firm offers services on its website swiss-investissement.com and is involved in scam activity. On the website, the alleged clone firm divides its proposed investments into the safest — assets such as precious metals, and the most successful — major cryptocurrencies …

Cybersecurity firm Trend Micro has confirmed that attackers have been exploiting a vulnerability in the Oracle WebLogic server to install monero (XMR) mining malware, while using certificate files as an obfuscation trick. The news was revealed in a Trend Micro blog post published on June 10. As previously reported, forms of stealth crypto mining are also referred to with the industry term cryptojacking — the practice of installing malware that uses a computer’s processing power to mine for cryptocurrencies without the owner’s consent or knowledge. According to Trend Micro’s post, a security patch for theOracle WebLogic vulnerability (“CVE-2019-2725”) — reportedly …

Earlier this week, Dutch billionaire John De Mol launched a lawsuit against Facebook over crypto ads using his image without permission. De Mol claims that consumers have lost as much as 1.7 million euros (over $1.9 million) due to the ads, and his reputation was damaged as a result. It is not the first time the California-based media giant is being sued over fake bitcoin ads — and, despite Facebook’s efforts to eliminate the problem, it seems that the issue persists. Brief introduction to Facebook’s relationship with crypto ads In January 2018, Facebook became the first major social media platform …

John De Mol, a Dutch billionaire responsible for the local Big Brother and The Voice shows, filed a lawsuit against Facebook over crypto ads using his image without permission, Reuters reports on June 5. Per the report, the ads promoted cryptocurrency scams using Mol’s image, which allegedly damaged his reputation. The ads in question reportedly advertised fake cryptocurrency-related businesses or encouraged users to send money to buy bitcoin (BTC), all while claiming that the projects have Mol’s baking or involvement. According to Reuters, Mol’s lawyers claim that consumers have lost €1.7 million (over $1.9 million) as a consequence of such …

The European Union has told Malta it needs to improve the resources it has to fight potential financial crime as a result of cryptocurrency popularity, local daily news outlet Malta Today reported on June 5. In a letter to member states advising how to spend EU funds, the European Commission flagged Malta’s burgeoning cryptocurrency sector as a potential weak link in the fight against financial crime. “The Commission, in its recommendations to member states for the use of EU funds, said that the size of Malta’s financial and gaming sector, and the efforts to attract crypto-currency operators required an effective …

Polish cryptocurrency exchange Coinroom has reportedly shut down its operations and disappeared with customer funds, local business news outlet money.pl reported on May 31. Money.pl received an email from one of its readers, who stated that Coinroom — which was registered in 2016 — ceased operations overnight and disappeared with customers’ money in April. Some users say they had up to 60,000 zloty (around $15,790) in their accounts. Before ceasing its operations, Coinroom reportedly sent emails to its customers, containing information about contract terminations. Coiroom customers had only one day to withdraw their money, which was in accordance with Coinroom …

The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) called for former users of the QuadrigaCX cryptocurrency exchange to provide information in an official announcement published on June 3. Earlier this year, QuadrigaCX had filed for creditor protection after the unexpected death of its founder left more than $145 million in funds apparently inaccessible. The FBI announcement asks people who lost funds due to the insolvency of the exchange in question to fill in a questionnaire asking about various details concerning their experience with the company and personal data: “If you have questions or concerns about your QuadrigaCX account, or if …

Indian police have reportedly discovered an alleged multi-million dollar cryptocurrency scam, involving a BitConnect promoter, local media outlet the Times of India reported on June 3. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Gujarat, India, has accused Divyesh Darji — a promoter of now-defunct cryptocurrency investment program BitConnect that ceased its operations in January of last year — of luring people to invest into “Regal Coin,” promising unrealistic returns of as high as 5,000% on investment. A CID official said that the estimated amount of the scam reaches into the tens of millions of rupees. Per the CID, Darji began offering …

United States-based blockchain intelligence firm Chainalysis claims that 64% of ransomware attack cash-out strategies involve the laundering of funds via cryptocurrency exchanges. The data was revealed in a Chainalysis webinar attended by Cointelegraph on May 30. A ransomware attack involves the infection of a target with malware and the demand of a ransom payment — frequently denominated in cryptocurrencies. The payment is demanded in return for the ostensible delivery of a decryptor tool that can help victims recover access to their data. Chainalysis — which provides blockchain analytics tools that enable firms, governments and law enforcement to monitor blockchain transactions …

The liquidators of now-defunct New Zealand crypto exchange Cryptopia have released the first report on the state of affairs of the firm, according to the documents published on May 31. Cryptopia’s recently assigned liquidator, Grant Thornton, has released an estimation statement of the financial state of the firm, reporting that the hacked exchange owes a total of $4.22 million to its creditors. According to the report, there are 69 unsecured creditor claims totalling $2.439 million, with the liquidators adding that they expect to receive further claims, thus raising the amount. The report also indicates that the employee entitlements at the …

Hackers from North Korea were behind a phishing scam targeting users of South Korean cryptocurrency exchange UpBit, Korean-language cryptocurrency news outlet CoinDesk Korea reported on May 29. According to findings by local cybersecurity firm East Security, the scam came in the form of an email sent to UpBit users requesting account information. The pretence was a fake giveaway, with the emails also containing a file called “Event Winner Personal Information Collection and Usage Agreement.hwp,” which would run malicious code when opened. UpBit had alerted traders a day before, warning anyone receiving an email from the address “[email protected]” to discard it. …

United States sanctions incentivized North Korea to launch cyberattacks involving cryptocurrency, a senior FBI official told a conference. The comments were quoted by South Korean English-language news outlet Korea Herald on May 30. Speaking at an event organized by U.S. thinktank The Aspen Institute, Tonya Ugoretz, deputy assistant director of the FBI’s cyber division, said financial strain had driven North Korean state actors to cybercrime. As Cointelegraph reported, Pyongyang is suspected to be behind several major campaigns involving cryptocurrency ransomware and theft in recent years. These have ranged from global attacks, such as 2017’s WannaCry, to targeted moves against exchanges …