Fake exchanges that mimics original exchanges are real

[Oshosondy]

Indian national sentenced for alleged $20M crypto scheme in North Carolina, abroad

Chirag Tomar a 31 year old stole crypto from hundreds of people. Him and his co-conspirators created a fake website Pro.Coinbase.Com which is a scam website and similar to Coinbase website.

Users will input their login details on the fake website which is used to know their login information. Also it is used to know the users authenticator information. Some users were tricked and their devices were remotely accessed.

You need to read it for better details: https://www.cbs17.com/news/north-carolina-news/indian-national-sentenced-for-alleged-20m-crypto-scheme-in-north-carolina-abroad/amp/

Tomar was sentenced to five years in prison and two years of supervised release.

It is good to know and only visit the correct URL of a website. If you do not know the correct URL, you can get it from site like Coingecko and Coinmarketcap.

[DaNNy001]

The issue of fake url is something that has proven to work for  scammers over and over and this is because most people who visit these fake sites hardly ever notice the difference between the fake and original url because of the minor changes in the name of sites. There are lots of these schemes online and some of them are not even the office website but the fake representative of the actual firms like customer service, I think I had an encounter similar when I tried reaching out to kucoin on Telegram, there are so many fake customer service personnel in which if you are nor careful would fall into their hands.

[nelson4lov]

In light of the recent attacks via phishing and social engineering, I'd like to confirm this to be true. It's not just crypto exchanges that are getting mirrored but even DeFi websites and platforms. The market has been good in recent times and on the other hand, it acts as an incentivize for hackers to try and break stuffs since there's plenty of liquid money rn.

Not randomly clicking links + triple checking URLs before clicking them have been the best way to avoid being a victim.

[Felicity_Tide]

URL scams are quite popular these days, but it seems this trick is still very much active as they are good number of people falling for such scam on a daily basis. I think the last thread someone created on this same board was made to address a fake binance websites that has a slight text difference from the original binance websites, where users are allowed to download a PC version of the software.

$20M is a massive amount, which means the scammer has gotten so many victims over the years. What I feel is that this type of scam can be very difficult to detect especially by those who don't often pay full attention on websites that they visit often. But we can alert people to be more vigilant by informing them. And it's also ideal that we bookmark every URL that we visit often, because that's what I practice.

[EluguHcman]

The issue mimicking real online domains has much been a tricky techniques of entrapping inexperienced users and technically gains accesses to their Privacies.

And the truth being told, scamming can not be totally be whipped off existence but we can always avoid them them even though we can not detect them probably out of lack of knowledge but by consulting and making research to authentic from reliable sources if the sites are genuine or not before proceeding.

Your crypto is your a great hope in the future hedging against economy destabilization so I hope we should learn from the awfulness that has happened to others as experience.
 

[batang_bitcoin]

That's a phishing website and many does that and lucky for him, he's got caught. I hope that all of those scammers/hackers that are mimicking the exchanges and websites related to crypto or any other financial services will spend their Christmas time behind the bars. That's what they deserve and I hope that the laws from where they've been caught is a strong one and hard to bail out. So, they have to serve their sentence and have to pay a fine more than the amount they have scammed to return it to the victims that fell for their scheme.

[Zaguru12]

In light of the recent attacks via phishing and social engineering, I'd like to confirm this to be true. It's not just crypto exchanges that are getting mirrored but even DeFi websites and platforms. The market has been good in recent times and on the other hand, it acts as an incentivize for hackers to try and break stuffs since there's plenty of liquid money rn.

Not randomly clicking links + triple checking URLs before clicking them have been the best way to avoid being a victim.

Seriously this scheme has grown beyond even Just the likes of exchanges alone but has gone to almost everything bitcoin related, it will look old fashioned but most at times even the knowledgeable one do fall victim of this. Of recent i have found even social media places like the X where the platforms pass out information to their customers getting hacked and the scammers usually substitute authentic links with their own scam links.

Just as today the new Eigen layer airdrop on Ethereum blockchain where many people got good amounts had it’s X handle compromised and thereby redirecting people to go claim some more with phishing link added. This is definitely growing as the bull run approaches

It is good to know and only visit the correct URL of a website. If you do not know the correct URL, you can get it from site like Coingecko and Coinmarketcap.

Although this two aggregators are good tools to go from if you’re a newbie but just like other platforms they are also pose of getting hacked and the scammer switching the real URLs or something like stealing customers details. The safest thing is go for cold wallet and then do not lick links just like that

[Potato Chips]

Yeah, phishing attempt/scam website plus sum social engineering is the combo bread and butter of many scammers.

BTW, you confused the legit coinbase domain with the phishing website. Coinbase.com is genuine.

According to court documents, Tomar and his co-conspirators stole from hundreds of people in western North Carolina, across the United States and internationally from as far back as June 2021. They did this by creating a website URL, “CoinbasePro.Com,” similar to Coinbase’s legitimate website for their Pro version, “Pro.Coinbase.Com.”

I'm glad they caught one of the perps though he's most likely a part of a scam call center and it will be business as usual for his team. We can't control these scammers but we can learn how to avoid their tricks. Simple safety habits such as making sure you're on the right URL goes a long way.

[serjent05]

Isn't this the same as a phishing scam?  This had been around even before Bitcoin is created.  There is no surprise hearing about this news and yes there are lots that fall victim to this scam that is why we have to check the URL carefully we are visiting especially when it has something to do with money.

I'm glad they caught one of the perps though he's most likely a part of a scam call center and it will be business as usual for his team. We can't control these scammers but we can learn how to avoid their tricks. Simple safety habits such as making sure you're on the right URL goes a long way.

Yeah, it is great to catch these scammers but sadly they had victimized many individual before they are caught.  The authority should empower their capability to check and detect frauds and scam website in order to minimize victims.  They (authority) often act late, when there are many individuals had already scammed.

[Botnake]

This is really serious because, even with 2FA protecting your account, scammers are getting more sophisticated with real-time phishing. Since the 2FA code expires in seconds, they’re working fast. We all need to be extra careful these days. Even though exchanges are boosting security, hackers are also evolving their tactics. One of the best ways to protect yourself is to always bookmark the official URL and avoid clicking on random links, like those promotions you might see for Coinbase, to prevent being redirected to phishing sites.

But here’s something I’ve noticed about security.....it's not always as strong as we think. Okay---For example, with Binance, when you log in, you need your username, password, and 2FA code. But if we look at what happened here, the hacker was able to access the account because they got the 2FA code from a phishing site. But when it comes to withdrawing funds, shouldn’t Coinbase ask for another 2FA code? If they did, maybe the funds wouldn’t have been stolen. I’m curious about this too since I’m not a Coinbase user--I use Binance.

Could anyone confirm if Coinbase requires 2FA again for withdrawals?

[BlackBoss_]

Him and his co-conspirators created a fake website Pro.Coinbase.Com which is a scam website and similar to Coinbase website.

Users will input their login details on the fake website which is used to know their login information. Also it is used to know the users authenticator information. Some users were tricked and their devices were remotely accessed.

Cryptocurrency Scam Book with most common scam types including Phishing scam type can help newbies in cryptocurrency to avoid scams and have better practice to secure their funds better.

What to do to avoid phishing sites.
[LEARN & EARN] Phishing Quizzes - Beginners & Experts.
8 common scams and how to avoid them.
The complete guide to Bitcoin scams and how to avoid them.

It is good to know and only visit the correct URL of a website. If you do not know the correct URL, you can get it from site like Coingecko and Coinmarketcap.

Google can allow phishing sites appear on top of their search results so make sure to double check information, compares it with other search engines, and with Coinmarketcap.com, Coingecko.com, two biggest websites for cryptocurrency enthusiasts.

[Helena Yu]

There was a press released by U.S. attorney if he stealing for $37 Million worth of crypto and a maximum of 20 years sentence, but it seems this is the new update where his $37 Million worth of crypto now turn just $20 Million.

Tomar was sentenced to five years in prison and two years of supervised release.

It's still a win for him, average salary in North Carolina is $52K annually, so he need to work for 40 years in order to earn $20 Million, but it's unrealistic because he need to buy foods, pay bills, utilities, rent etc.

5 years to get $20 Million is worth it.

[hugeblack]

It is difficult for a single phishing link to attract $20 million, and I do not think that one person is capable of running such a system or investing in it, especially in India, where $2 million to $5 million is enough for a happy life.

5 years to get $20 Million is worth it.

I believe that the court ruling will confiscate that money or it may be returned to those who were scammed if there are understandings between India and the United States.

[Nwada001]

The issue of fake url is something that has proven to work for  scammers over and over and this is because most people who visit these fake sites hardly ever notice the difference between the fake and original url because of the minor changes in the name of sites. There are lots of these schemes online and some of them are not even the office website but the fake representative of the actual firms like customer service, I think I had an encounter similar when I tried reaching out to kucoin on Telegram, there are so many fake customer service personnel in which if you are nor careful would fall into their hands.

It's working for them because people have been too ignorant and careless in this online space, and the majority of the people who fall victim to such are those who feel too lazy to type the URL they want to visit in full or even bookmark it on their last visit. They always prefer to visit a search engine and search for the name of the website and allow Google to suggest it for them, which they immediately click on without even giving it a second thought.

[avp2306]

Indian national sentenced for alleged $20M crypto scheme in North Carolina, abroad

Chirag Tomar a 31 year old stole crypto from hundreds of people. Him and his co-conspirators created a fake website Pro.Coinbase.Com which is a scam website and similar to Coinbase website.

Users will input their login details on the fake website which is used to know their login information. Also it is used to know the users authenticator information. Some users were tricked and their devices were remotely accessed.

You need to read it for better details: https://www.cbs17.com/news/north-carolina-news/indian-national-sentenced-for-alleged-20m-crypto-scheme-in-north-carolina-abroad/amp/

Tomar was sentenced to five years in prison and two years of supervised release.

It is good to know and only visit the correct URL of a website. If you do not know the correct URL, you can get it from site like Coingecko and Coinmarketcap.

If people will just check the url on the site they are accessing for sure that they would never experience any hacking issues the same as what this guy did. But unfortunately there are some people play fool around and just regret their mistake done once they have been compromised. So its really better not to normalize this attitude and people always consider to check or verify what they site they are trying to go so that they would never get caught by phising or fake websites around.

Its good that North Carolina government take swift action to put the criminal in jail and this serve as a warning that they would never enjoy their stolen money outside since there's a government will sue them. But in other country law enforcement on scamming is questionable so hopefully they act the same with mentioned authorities.

[sunsilk]

Isn't this the same as a phishing scam?  This had been around even before Bitcoin is created. 

Yes, this is the same as a phishing scam and they're rampant and will never be gone out of the community, bull and bear market they're always there active.

There is no surprise hearing about this news and yes there are lots that fall victim to this scam that is why we have to check the URL carefully we are visiting especially when it has something to do with money.

Everyone needs to be vigilant and always has to check the URL before trying to visit them. Verify, verify and keep on verifying every URL before visiting these exchanges that we're familiar and we've been using for so long.

[hd49728]

Everyone needs to be vigilant and always has to check the URL before trying to visit them. Verify, verify and keep on verifying every URL before visiting these exchanges that we're familiar and we've been using for so long.

If you are familiar with these exchanges, you will remember their domain links and can type it manually or web browsers will remember these url links for you. You can bookmark these url links on your web browsers too, it's not too difficult for people who are familiar with exchanges they used for a long time.

Phishing attacks more target at newbies who don't know about these exchanges and they will go to Google or other search engines for finding links. Newbies can go to Application Stores and search applications, if unfortunately they will find fake applications.

A general principle that applies for both newbies and senior people, double check information.

[Findingnemo]

Even official exchange has mirror links which could be one of the reason why people not really giving much attention to the urls, one good solution to stop these is that exchange should list all their mirror links in their official website if they have more than one urls to direct to their platforms.

Most obvious ones can be spotted by looking at the url itself, they will replace or swap a word with another that we usually skip while reading cause our memory does arrange them in order even when the words are mispelled.

[Solosanz]

Even official exchange has mirror links which could be one of the reason why people not really giving much attention to the urls, one good solution to stop these is that exchange should list all their mirror links in their official website if they have more than one urls to direct to their platforms.

Most obvious ones can be spotted by looking at the url itself, they will replace or swap a word with another that we usually skip while reading cause our memory does arrange them in order even when the words are mispelled.

Nah mirror links are actually good, it help people who restricted by their local ISP to use the sites.

When the sites restricted by local ISP, it doesn't mean the sites not allow citizen from that country to use their sites, but the local ISP is just strict enough. Using VPN isn't allowed because they don't allow it in their terms, that's why mirror links is the solution.

[CryptopreneurBrainboss]

It is good to know and only visit the correct URL of a website. If you do not know the correct URL, you can get it from site like Coingecko and Coinmarketcap.

Since we'll keep getting newbies joining the industry, stories like this won't stop existing because new victims will be coming up mostly during times like this that the market is getting bullish and people that have no knowledge on safety in the industry will be joining.

Bookmaking urls to avoid needing to search for the sites URLs is still a good way to avoid issues like this. Also download the Apps using the correct links from the wallets is better to avoid becoming a victim as scammers focus on fake URL more than they do for apps because it's more costly to duplicate an app but website are very easy and they can get more victims this way.

Cex need to do better also, there should be ways of making the exchange more secure that transaction can't just happen with some level of authentication that won't be that easy for scammers to bypass but they won't as all they care about is making money and not securing their customers.