Bitcoin Forum

Do not fall for these scams when
user posts their skype id.

We have seen situation before when
someone gets scammed.

How the scam works:

Scammer invites victim to a skype
chat, talks about a project, perhaps
a new wallet, etc... Sends them
the "wallet" which is really malware...
which then steals any coins you might have.

I had to post this here because OP locked
the other thread.

Just want to clarify the system requirements for the malware.
 
Let me guess. The malware requires Microsoft Windows in order for it to be able to steal your coins.

no idea. probably.  i havent actually seen
the malware , but we saw a poster describe
this very scenario a few days ago.

just saying, be very careful when someone here
wants to skype you for any reason!

I've seen plenty of malware that are .jar

I read somewhere that some of the newly launched altcoin wallets are doing this exactly.

this is just aweful. i hate when people steal others bitcoins

Isn't it possible and/or easier to track someone down if you've connected to them by skype?  or can you use a proxy to use skype so no one can trace you?

You gotta be really careful about downloading ANYTHING that has not been tested by trusted people!

when you are downloading from random people on skype you should know its fishy.

When I see things like the heading in the subject line of this thread, alarm bells go off that this is "too good to be true" and must be a scam of some kind.  Even when I can't tell how it's a scam, any person of average intelligence should know it's a scam...

and if you're below average intelligence then you should let an immediate family member control your finances on a daily basis!

But who is stupid enough to download a random file from a stranger on the internet? Even though I just said that, I know there are plenty of people that do. Almost deserved to be scammed just for a lesson-learned.

Yes. Due diligent and self responsibility are the keys for security.

Luckily i was not robbed so far, but i really can't imagine how can someone sleep well with somebody elses money in their pocket. Hackers and thieves should be punished properly for their actions.

Haven't really seen much of this happening but I do appreciate the warning.  Hate when people get robbed for their coins for having a moment of poor judgement.

Indeed...hard for someone like you or me to imagine because we have morals.   But many do not.

Good advice for newbies, thanks for posting

This.

It would take someone extremely naïve (or stupid) to just download a random file from a stranger.   Still just the same, I'm sure that this technique will be "improved" upon to prey on newbies.

Use sandboxie to open strange apps. If it made in java then you can decompile it easily to see where it send the data.

Wouldn't the malware be detected by AV or malwarebytes? Since you got me scared but thanks for the heads up... Always good to keep abreast of all the scams.

if its an .exe file, you should at least check before its too late. find more info about it by googling it.

Just wondering is it possible to include a patch in the malware file so that your anti-virus can't detect the specified virus? Just wondering.

I am sure those who fell for the trick are not stupid in real life, they are just temporally blinded by greed.


Yes! Sooooo many people think a program is safe because it was reported clean by multiple anti-malware programs. They cannot be more wrong, and it will be too late before they finally realise it.


I imagine a wallet stealer malware is essentially a program to read a file and upload/email its contents somewhere. These are extremely normal operations of most applications. I think it would be extremely difficult to detect these wallet stealers in the first place, without blocking other legit software.

The sad part is even after all the protection you use like anti-virus , firewall, anti-logger you can't feel secure unless you keep it tight and avoid clicking random links , I did same mistake last week and formatted my system still feeling lil insecure about it.
 

:D true true.... but there is another way

Sadly due to some restriction I have to use Windows , otherwise I prefer Linux too, have it in my other system.

Funny enough for some reason a lot of people fall for it. I don't understand why but warnings like this one actually seems like it's necessary.

Thanks for the heads up.
Whenever in doubt, don't download the files or at least use a sandbox.

People fall for this crap all the time, even WITH warnings.

Think about it like this.  If I tell you the universe is filled with hundreds of billions of stars you'll likely believe it.  If I tell you the paint is wet, and there's a sign on the wall that says, "Wet Paint", I bet you touch that paint to see if it really is wet...

Yes it's true hackers are really clever and they always could create new malware/virus that none antivirus will detect!
They'll get detected but not instant, only after some weeks...

That is an interesting analogy lol.
But I agree that some people are just too careless and gullible, and they will fall for a scam sooner or later...

I think this [1] thread should be read. It is a very fine example of the "yo test my wallet over skype"-scam and how to reveal the scammer. Just note unless you have a machine that never had a wallet or any other connection to bitcoin dont even try this.


[1] https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=650992.0;all

Thanks for the link. I haven't read it before, and I can't stop laughing while reading that chat log in post #27. :)

If ever in doubt about a program run it in a virtual environment which will help with security.

so did anyone fall for this scam?

yes someone did last week but i dont have the link

theres so many scams on this site, is there a thread of the latest ones like this?