How a ‘Wrong Number’ message turned into a $3.4M crypto scam

[khaled0111]

This scam tactic is not that different from the well known romance scam.
The main difference is how the attackers approache their victims for the first time. In romance scams, they use dating platforms most of the times, while in this case their tactic to start the conversation is by pretending it’s a wrong number. What comes next is almost the same, which is using social engineering to gain the victim’s trust.
As most members suggested, the best way to remain safe is to avoid talking to strangers.

[Die_empty]

This scam tactic is not that different from the well known romance scam.
The main difference is how the attackers approache their victims for the first time. In romance scams, they use dating platforms most of the times, while in this case their tactic to start the conversation is by pretending it’s a wrong number. What comes next is almost the same, which is using social engineering to gain the victim’s trust.
As most members suggested, the best way to remain safe is to avoid talking to strangers.

I fell victim to a scam recently. They hacked a family member's social media and I never knew.  They used the account and asked for financial assistance from me. The mistake I made was not to call her to confirm if she was actually the person. Since I was busy in the office and she needed the funds urgently, I sent money to the scammer.

We should not send money to anybody when we are under stress at work because we might not be thinking clearly. Always confirm or verify a person's identity from more than one source before engaging in any transaction.

[Bryan jessy]

And this has happened several times, it is even getting common now. I discovered that an App exist where people from different countries chat with lonely foreigners and get paid, this foreigners are mostly advanced men and women who just needed someone to talk with them, most people took advantage of this lonely people to gain their trust and scam them thereafter. There are people whom are vulnerable to such scam, I believe is not everyone that can fail victim of such scam, so far a person do not make himself available for them to prey on.

Also I am trying to digest how possible it is, that a person received a call from a stranger and get lured to given sensitive information about their assets,  more like catfishing, it sounds almost impossible but very possibly because it has happened and still happening, let's be watchful.

[lovesmayfamilis]

It baffles me too, and women are the most victims of this vice. Is it gullibility or what? Does it mean that the victims were suffering from boredoms and needed someone to talk to? Make it make sense, in this selfish world, a stranger contacted me by mistake, and I will give in just like that? That's ridiculous. Even those people I know are still finding it difficult to gain my trust, let alone strangers. The victims are not smart!

Like you mentioned, this is not new at all, but I am still not understanding how people are so quick to keep conversations on with strangers to the extent of trusting them in financial dealings. I can hardly agree to maintain further communication with someone who mistook my number for someone else's, not to mention of trusting them with and financial dealings.
Maybe their prime targets are older people who suffer from loneliness and appreciates any form of attention given to them and as we all know, most of them trusts easily since their mental configuration and perception level has degraded with age.

These are exactly the questions I ask myself when I read something like this. Single women or older men, it doesn't matter; it feels like people have a lot of money that they got very easily since they part with it so easily and quickly.

Something is happening in the world with the minds of some people. Why do we believe those who are far away but do not see those who are close? Those who regularly say, Do not trust strangers; be vigilant. There will not always be people on the other side of the screen whom you would like to see and whom you need to trust.

Single women should always have a stop sign; that's why they're lonely: they don't trust many people, they can't get along with men, and therefore, trust for them should be something very personal. Older people should have worldly wisdom, but unfortunately, they don't have it either.

[bitbollo]

Has been proved and its well known here in the EU that there are groups that setup ""COMPANIES"" running such schemes.
It sounds all ok and everything scary but... they have sent addresses to a fake website/fake service or in general to not legitimate.
It would very easy a double check directly with companies involved... and not barely trusting a random message received.