Crypto security is one of the hottest topics for investors and companies actively working on creating better security solutions for the Web3 industry. Web3 Antivirus was created in an effort to make wallet security more accessible to all users in the space. The company offers a browser extension that helps users monitor wallet interactions and spot potential scams and malicious activity before investors fall victim to them. Below are the most common crypto scams and malicious tactics, and how to protect against them below as found through the experience of developing Web3 Antivirus. Malicious transactions Hacker tactics: While on a …

The research arm of cybersecurity software firm Check Point has flagged the Dingo Token (DINGO) as a “potential scam” after reportedly discovering a smart contract function that has been used to manipulate transaction fees. In a Feb. 3 blog post, Check Point Research (CPR) said it looked into the code behind the Dingo Smart Contract, discovering a backdoor function "setTaxFeePercent," which can change the contract's buy and sell fee up to 99%. This is despite the project’s whitepaper stating that there is only a 10% fee per transaction. According to CPR, this essentially allows the project’s owner to withdraw up …

The New Jersey Bureau of Securities has ordered three website operators to stop luring romance-seeking victims into their fraudulent cryptocurrency investment schemes. The three firms hit with the cease and desist orders were Meta Capitals Limited, Cresttrademining Limited and Forex Market Trade, according to a Feb. 3 press release from New Jersey’s Attorney General Matthew Platkin. All three firms claimed to be cryptocurrency trading platforms, where they would allegedly entice victims into copying the trades of their “expert traders” so that they can make big returns. But to get them into the scheme, these companies often resort to romance seekers …

Atto, the pseudonymous founder behind Little Shapes NFT has revealed that the project was actually a “social experiment” designed to shed light on large-scale NFT bot network scams on Twitter. Since late December, Little Shapes had been attracting a fair amount of attention from the media and crypto community. This is due to several semi-viral tweets detailing incidents in the founder's life that seemed too good to be true. Examples of such included him waking up from a five-month coma, finding out he had assets locked on FTX, telling his wife and then finding out she was cheating on him …

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has seized two non-fungible tokens (NFTs) worth more than $100,000 and 86.5 Ether (ETH) from a reported phishing scammer. The alleged scammer in question, Chase Senecal — known as Horror (HZ) online — was initially exposed via a lengthy investigation by independent blockchain sleuth ZachXBT posted back in September. In the FBI’s official notification posted on Feb. 3, it outlined that Seneca’s property — which also included an Audemars Piguet (AP) Royal Oak Watch worth $41,000 — was “seized for federal forfeiture for violation of federal law.” The FBI’s notification did not detail much …

Bankrupt crypto exchange FTX has acknowledged a recent spate of third-party scams and frauds aimed at swindling its already-embattled customers. On Feb. 3, FTX issued an alert to its customers regarding recent attempts by fraudsters to scam their customers, including asking them for money, fees, payments or account passwords. “We are aware of active third-party scams and frauds seeking to take advantage of FTX customers,” the company warned. FTX added that its debtors and agents will never ask customers to pay fees or provide account passwords in connection with the “return or prospective return of customer assets,” and encouraged potential …

The Australian government is bolstering its market regulator's digital asset team as part of a “multi-stage approach” aimed at clamping down on crypto and ensuring proper risk disclosures from crypto firms. A Feb. 2 joint statement by Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones explained that the new measures are aimed at protecting consumers dealing with cryptocurrency. The treasurers said the multi-stage approach would involve three elements, including strengthening enforcement, bolstering consumer protection, and establishing a framework for its token mapping reform. This is why we're taking action on crypto. pic.twitter.com/17HG5nhsTz — Stephen Jones MP (@StephenJonesMP) February 2, …

In this week’s newsletter, read about how Moonbirds founder Kevin Rose lost nonfungible tokens (NFTs) worth more than $1.1 million. Find out why an NFT collector is suing NFT marketplace OpenSea over locking his account for three months and how the Porsche NFT collection gained almost $5 million in sales volume, despite a failed launch. In other news, find out how NFT trademarks could potentially be a reliable signal for NFT traders. Lastly, professionals within the Web3 space shared various ways to combat NFT theft. Moonbirds creator Kevin Rose loses $1.1M+ in NFTs after one wrong move Moonbirds co-founder Kevin …

A big concern for users in decentralized finance (DeFi) involves the industry’s susceptibility to exploits. A report from Privacy Affairs revealed hackers stole $4.3 billion worth of cryptocurrency in the time period from January to November 2022 — a 37% increase from the previous year. Such exploits harm the integrity of companies and fuel skeptics from outside of the space in their case against cryptocurrencies. However, in a Feb. 2 announcement from Web3 Builders Inc., the company revealed a suite of tools to combat this issue. The initial browser extension TrustCheck was created to flag Web3-related scams before users continue …

The United Kingdom is host to at least 168 companies accused of running fraudulent crypto or foreign exchange (forex) scams according to an independent analysis. A Jan. 29 joint investigation by media firms the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and the Observer suggested organized crime groups are using the U.K. as their base due to its “lax regulation.” The actual number of U.K.-based crypto or forex companies involved in scams is likely far greater than 168 as the number was calculated by reviewing lists of suspected shell companies and cross-referencing them with reports of fraudulent activity on various websites. Around half …

As nonfungible tokens (NFTs) attract more users, they also capture the eyes of scammers. Bad actors in Web3 have set their sights on digital collectibles, with millions being lost through scams and various attacks. However, according to professionals working in the Web3 space, there are multiple ways and tools to prevent being a victim of NFT theft. In addition, users can also take various actions after losing their digital collectibles to hacks. Ronghui Gu, the co-founder and CEO of blockchain security firm CertiK, told Cointelegraph that the first and most important step is always due diligence. “Avoid clicking on suspicious …

Blockchain security firm CertiK believes to have found the real identity of at least one scammer allegedly linked tothe “Monkey Drainer” phishing scam. Monkey Drainer is the pseudonym for a phishing scammer(s) that uses smart contracts to steal NFTs through a process known as "ice phishing." The individual or persons behind the phishing scam have stolen millions worth of Ether (ETH) via malicious copycat nonfungible token (NFT) minting websites to date. In a Jan. 27 blog, CertiK said it found on-chain messages between two scammers involved in a recent $4.3 million Porsche NFT phishing scam and was able to link …