024: Rug-Pull-a-Palooza

Summary

Crypto has always been risky, but recent failures of the most prominent crypto exchanges (FTX) and projects have made everyone aware that it is easy to lose your digital assets. Scams have never been more prevalent in the crypto space, which is why it is necessary to know the playbook of these fraudulent actors. In this episodes, Michael and Liam review the most common crypto scams and how to avoid them.

Show Notes

Here are the main crypto scams that the Candid Crypto team believes you should be aware of. Check out the articles that were mentioned in episode 24 to learn more about how to protect yourself from fraud.

Phishing Scams

• Double your money scams
  • https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/18/business/elon-musk-cryptocurrency-fraud.html

Rug Pulls / Pump and Dumps

• FTX
  • https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/18/business/ftx-crypto-downfall-explained/index.html)
• Celsius
  • https://www.cnbc.com/2022/07/08/crypto-lender-celsius-is-a-fraud-and-ponzi-scheme-lawsuit-claims.html

Fake apps, fake websites

• Fake Uniswap App
  • https://cointelegraph.com/news/fake-uniswap-app-on-google-play-store-has-already-lost-one-user-20-000

Celebrity endorsements

• Kim Kardashian Ethereum Max
  • https://decrypt.co/113912/kim-kardashian-floyd-mayweather-ethereum-max-lawsuit
• Celebrity-Endorsed Crypto Scams Soaring in UK
  • https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-28/celebrity-endorsed-crypto-scams-soaring-in-uk-santander-says?leadSource=uverify%20wall

Giveaways

• Dusting
  • https://www.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/nzo47c/unsolicited_tokens_deposited_into_your_wallet/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

Blackmail, ransomware

• Man in the middle attack (MITM)
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man-in-the-middle_attack
• Colonial pipeline hackers
  • https://www.thomsonreuters.com/en-us/posts/investigation-fraud-and-risk/colonial-pipeline-ransom-funds/