Bitcoin users are generally internet-savvy people. After all, we’re early adopters in internet currency. You’d think we’d be aware of the potential pitfalls online.
But that doesn’t prevent would-be scammers from trying to take advantage of Bitcoiners. And that’s exactly what’s been happening with the latest round of phishing aimed at Bitcoiners.
The phishing, which comes from “active@blockchain.imfo”, instructs users to click a link in order to reactivate their account, which was “temporarily deactivated”. The link then presumably leads to a site designed to gather the user’s personal account information so they can then log into their legitimate Blockchain.info account and steal their bitcoins.
Nothing New
These phishing schemes have been in practice for years. They’re nothing new or unique to the Bitcoin world.
In fact, Blockchain.info related phishing scams are nothing new either. They’re one of the most common scams to hit the Bitcoin community.
Most people who have Blockchain.info accounts have been subject to phishing attacks. If you receive a suspicious looking email from Blockchain (or anywhere else for that matter), here are a few tips to help keep yourself safe and secure.
Check the Address
Take a look at the email address from where the email was sent. Look closely. Is that n actually an m? Does the email address seem legit, but come from an unusual URL?
If you’re unsure about whether the email is legit, you can always…
Check Google
Google is your friend. It can help you find information on anything, phishing scams included.
If the email address you found seems suspicious, Google it! or try searching (address) scam. If others have been scammed by this address, they’ve likely talked about it. And you might gain some valuable insight on why you’re being targeted.
Look For Spelling Errors
You’d think putting spelling errors in an email would be an obvious sign of a scam, but surprisingly scammers get better results with emails that have deliberate errors in them. This is because if they get a response from a poorly worded email, it’s a good sign that they have a naive and inexperienced user who will be easy to take advantage of.
Don’t Give Your Personal Information
A company to which you’ve given your personal information will almost never request you provide that information again in an email. Plain and simple.
If they are requesting your personal information, including your email address, username, password, or any other information, there’s a better than 95% chance it’s a scam. But if you really do think it was the company itself, you can always contact them through another method, like a different email address or, better yet, a phone call.
Don’t Open Attachments
For god’s sake, don’t open any attachments!
In fact, unless you know the sender, don’t open an attachment. It’s far too easy to include malware in an email attachment, which can make your day miserable.
Use Common Sense!
Bitcoiners often have the idea that because someone is a fellow Bitcoin enthusiast, they’re a compatriot, a brother in arms, a long-lost friend to be welcomed with open arms.
And while this open atmosphere works great most of the time, it’s important to remember that a stranger is still a stranger. Bitcoiners have fallen victim to enough scams, hacks, and misfortune that we’re a little more wary than usual, but we can still be naive at times.
Stay aware, and stay safe out there. Cryptoland is a great place, but it can also be nasty.
Have you fallen victim to a phishing scam? Where did it come from? And how do you tell whether you’ve received a phishing email or not? Tell us in the comments below.
Don't Fall Victim To Bitcoin Phishing Scams!
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