Be weary of scammers as they are getting smarter everyday.

[Spaceman1000$]

I saw this video on X(Twitter) not too long ago where a lady that should be probably in her late 50s or early 60s, she was vehemently complaining how scammers were able to log into her crypto wallet and they stole everything that was inside. According to her story, she's a kidney stone survivor who is basically struggling to survive as she has some form of deformity in her both hands.
 From the record I saw on the screen, I think it happened two months back.

The scammers sent a mail that look like Google Mail asking her if she authorize some withdrawals from her wallet, unfortunately for her she couldn't authenticate if it was actually from Google or from a cloned email that seem to look like a Google email, responding to the mail, she said no she did not authorize for such withdrawal and afterwards, this same guys had to called her line in the
guise of calling from Google office, I think it was from that point she responding to the phone call and she gave in some of the details which I think lead those scammers getting through her passphrase stored on a Google cloud, and it was compromised at that point.

This is part of the reason why it is not advisable to save your passphrase on Google or any other cloud system, it can be compromised, it is better you write it down on a piece of paper and keep it somewhere probably in two or three other locations you know can be safe. Here is the link to her narration.
https://x.com/Paulatalks6n/status/2095571311619694727


I think something similar happened to @Mocacinno but he was miles ahead of those scammers.
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5590968.msg67032982#msg67032982

[OcTradism]

Scammers are pretty stupid and it's fact about most of scammers.

On the other hand, scammers are often pretty stupid

About scam, you can post in this thread.
[General] Crypto scams, attacks and malware.
They use and reuse scam methods many times.
Scambook with most common scam methods.

[Btcdeybodi]

In the case you narrated, it was a phishing attack that happened to the woman and she fell for it. Most scammers targets aged people because they assume that they are likely to fall to phishing attacks because most aged people always panic whenever they receive a distress call that their account is about to get compromised, so they can literally send out sensitive information and before they will realize themselves it's already too late.

This is part of the reason why it is not advisable to save your passphrase on Google or any other cloud system, it can be compromised, it is better you write it down on a piece of paper and keep it somewhere probably in two or three other locations you know can be safe.

I don't think that someone who has crypto assets will be so careless to save their passphrase on Google or any online means of backups. However, writing down your seed phrase or passphrase in a paper is not ideal, because it decays over time and the write ups can also fade out as time goes, you can even accidentally misplace it or throw it away. Instead use metal backups like a stainless steel to store your secret recovery phrases.

[Spaceman1000$]

In the case you narrated, it was a phishing attack that happened to the woman and she fell for it. Most scammers targets aged people because they assume that they are likely to fall to phishing attacks because most aged people always panic whenever they receive a distress call that their account is about to get compromised, so they can literally send out sensitive information and before they will realize themselves it's already too late.

This is part of the reason why it is not advisable to save your passphrase on Google or any other cloud system, it can be compromised, it is better you write it down on a piece of paper and keep it somewhere probably in two or three other locations you know can be safe.

I don't think that someone who has crypto assets will be so careless to save their passphrase on Google or any online means of backups. However, writing down your seed phrase or passphrase in a paper is not ideal, because it decays over time and the write ups can also fade out as time goes, you can even accidentally misplace it or throw it away. Instead use metal backups like a stainless steel to store your secret recovery phrases.

Writing it on a piece of paper and keeping it somewhere safe can save you for a good number of years, this is not to say that you will not go time after to check how well it is, you can as well write in a jotter and write it down in the middle of the jotter. Scrolls have been kept for thousands of years 📜, people are still coming to see it, it all depends on how safe you keep and how often you go to check it's safe. The idea of stainless steel is good, but how many people are ready to go through that route

[348Judah]

If scammers are going to be upgrading themselves from time to time, then I see no reason why we should not also take more responsibility for our assets to upgrade ourselves by learning more on the security measures with our crypto assets, the more you know the better is becomes for you, what we don't know will definitely cost us and this is why we must learn more of how to prevent scam incidence regardless of any new route developed by them to attack.

[LFC_Bitcoin]

Yeah, seems like as the post 3 above mine said, it’s just a basic phishing attack. It’s really unfortunate for the woman who suffered the loss of funds but really you have to be more careful. Nobody should fall for such an unsophisticated attack. Always check the email address and even then no exchange should be emailing you requesting details that help you access the funds.

[hd49728]

Yeah, seems like as the post 3 above mine said, it’s just a basic phishing attack. It’s really unfortunate for the woman who suffered the loss of funds but really you have to be more careful. Nobody should fall for such an unsophisticated attack. Always check the email address and even then no exchange should be emailing you requesting details that help you access the funds.

Phishing attack is a very common and basic scam but fortunately people can learn about this scam, and avoid it quite easily. Be knowledgeable, be careful with their practice, and they will not be phishing scammed.

Crypto Phishing Explained: How These Attacks Work and How to Prevent Them.
What to do to avoid phishing sites.
[LEARN & EARN] Phishing Quizzes - Beginners & Experts.

A famous Bitcoin wallet, Electrum, had a phishing attack years ago.
Electrum vulnerability allows arbitrary messages, phishing.

[Charles-Tim]

The scammers sent a mail that look like Google Mail asking her if she authorize some withdrawals from her wallet, unfortunately for her she couldn't authenticate if it was actually from Google or from a cloned email that seem to look like a Google email, responding to the mail, she said no she did not authorize for such withdrawal and afterwards, this same guys had to called her line in the
guise of calling from Google office, I think it was from that point she responding to the phone call and she gave in some of the details which I think lead those scammers getting through her passphrase stored on a Google cloud, and it was compromised at that point.

Passphrase or seed phrase? I guess it is seed phrase. Although, if you extend your wallet with passphrase, you will need both the seed phrase and passphrase to access the wallet.

According to the title of your topic: Be weary of scammers as they are getting smarter everyday.
Phishing attack is not something new at all.

Storing information that can be used to access your money online is completely wrong. It would have been late before some people will know that it is very wrong and not secure.

[Ambatman]

The more places or locations you save your seedphrase backup
The higher the likelihood of it getting found.
Tbs this is nothing new
Phishing attacks are one of the most effective and common means scammers use.
This is why one should be careful what they share online
The more of you that's online the more data they can work with.

[KiaKia]

Why is this in bitcoin discussion thread? That's all about XRP coins that got stolen because normally XRP is centralised and the wallet is probably custodial too, I think this thread should go into altcoins discussion.

[ColdLava40]

how scammers were able to log into her crypto wallet and they stole everything that was inside. 

I'm more interested in the part where it said logged into her crypto wallet.
 
It does not sound like a self custodian wallet to me and if I'm correct then that should be the first mistake. Having your coins on a non-custodial wallet is a biggest risk. People see it as a flex but they don't learn till it becomes a tragedy for them.

The scammers maybe got her information from a data leak or just randomly chose their target and she fell for it. First red flag people have to learn is that these platforms has no business calling you or would they message you to supply them details to fix your wallet issues.

I used to think these scam methods are common but people still fall and I'm surprised because it's the easiest and laziest scam methods out their.

[Rockstarguy]

This is why it is very important for every investor to be aware of scams and understand how manipulative scammers can be. The scammer succeeded because the victim was a novice; she fell for it without having any doubt. Having Bitcoin is not enough for an investor; scam awareness and security consciousness are essential.

Sometimes the biggest threat to security is not the scammer, but who is hodling and who owns the private key. Scam awareness is an aspect of Bitcoin that needs to be taken seriously, just as people learn to keep their security safe.

[Charles-Tim]

I'm more interested in the part where it said logged into her crypto wallet.
 
It does not sound like a self custodian wallet to me and if I'm correct then that should be the first mistake. Having your coins on a non-custodial wallet is a biggest risk. People see it as a flex but they don't learn till it becomes a tragedy for them.

It is a self-custody wallet that the woman is talking about as she mentioned Ledger and showed a paper similar to the paper for the Ledger seed phrase backup which consist of 24 numbers and spaces that you can input the seed phrases.

The woman said she thought anyone that will have access to her coins supposed to know her Ledger password and seed phrase. She get it wrong there because only the seed phrase is enough to have access to her coins.

I think if anyone wants self custody of his or her coins, the person need to read a lot about security and safety.

[notocactus]

I think if anyone wants self custody of his or her coins, the person need to read a lot about security and safety.

Security and privacy support each other, so there are resources for learning these things.

Bitcoin security and resources.
Bitcoin privacy resources.
Bitcoin wallet basics.

Also about wallet backups.
How to back up a seed phrase.

[Charles-Tim]

Security and privacy support each other, so there are resources for learning these things.

Privacy is also very important. Who knows if the scammers know the woman from the Ledger data breach. There is also two Trezor data breaches now.

Although, knowing about security would have helped this women.

Also a company sued Ledger recently and want ledger to pay $5 million in damages. They do not look at the part that they are also having faults.

But, regardless, privacy is very important also. And one of the most important step to take is by not buying a hardware wallet. I prefer wallet on airgapped devices, but also learn about how to protect myself from hackers and scammers generally.

[Sticky Bomb]

In the case you narrated, it was a phishing attack that happened to the woman and she fell for it. Most scammers targets aged people because they assume that they are likely to fall to phishing attacks because most aged people always panic whenever they receive a distress call that their account is about to get compromised, so they can literally send out sensitive information and before they will realize themselves it's already too late.

They still exploit their loneliness,  most aged people welcome with open arms anyone willing to give them attention. They trust easily and release sensitive information readily to the person. You only need to make them comfortable, get them used to you for a while and propose a phishing business to them. It's not totally their fault, the brain degenerate with advancement in age which makes them highly vulnerable.

This is part of the reason why it is not advisable to save your passphrase on Google or any other cloud system, it can be compromised, it is better you write it down on a piece of paper and keep it somewhere probably in two or three other locations you know can be safe.

Passphrase alone isn't a major threat, anyone who has it without your seed phrase cannot access your wallet. Unless, maybe you stupidly store both in online backup and the account gets compromised. Pass phrase and see phrases isn't meant to be stored together. They should be stored in different areas offline, if not, the main motive of having a passphrase in the first place is defeated.

[crwth]

I agree that they are really stepping up their game.

It's very similar to something I have encountered because they made a way to have support emails sent to your actual Gmail address. It's similar, and you'd notice it is a real support email, but it gets weird when it starts letting you access some of your data. It's very complicated, but it's definitely an engineered setup.

This is one reason why, if it's related to safety and having a wallet, getting a hardware wallet and knowing the verification steps would help. Like, it would display actual verification on the device that it's actually what you are set up to do.

[IjawMan]

The idea of stainless steel is good, but how many people are ready to go through that route

As many that knows the worth of what they hold in wallet.

If you value what is in your wallet hard enough you will not see it as a stress to go through any effective route to get a sure lasting solution against any possible frailty to your seed storage solution.

Make it a habit to always go with the best practice in securing your coins.

[ruykeri]

I watched the video of that lady. She really looked quite old and sick. That's why she might not have been so careful about the scammers. Somehow the scammers managed to trap her. And the way they hacked, as the OP has detailed, these methods are normally used by hackers for a long time. But even a few years ago, users were not so careful or their knowledge was lacking, so they were victims of scamming and hacking through phishing links. And for older users, this risk may be more, because they may not be familiar with fake support or phishing pages or links. So even if they are careful, they can still be victims of hacking. We should be more careful from such incidents. We should not panic and make hasty decisions when an email or phone call comes. And we should be careful from opening any unwanted email.

[Mrbluntzy]

I feel so sorry for her, it's unfortunate that these scammers don't even have human conscience, they target both old and young people not minding how difficult it is for some old people to survive everyday when they are not even working again. In this situation, she is left with the option of reposting the case to the right authority and they will help her to track the scammers which the chance of recovery is small but not completely zero. Everyone needs a quality enlightenment on all the methods that is being used by scammers these days because that's the only way we can protect ourselves from them, had it been this woman is aware of this method, first thing she would have done is to not give out her private information to the person that calls her because Google employees will never call you to demand for your personal details.

I don't blame the woman because she's old and not so sound in health, that must have been the reason for the panic when she saw the email and received the call. Old people really need quality enlightenment about security of their asset.