FBI researchers say that a new disturbing fraud tactics are being disseminated: contractors who go through lawyers are victims of cryptography scams, promising a recovery of funds before stealing even more. The scheme is prepared in despair with an alarming sophistication.
Summary
- The FBI warns of the scammers who go through lawyers to aim at the victims of previous cryptographic fraud, using false agencies, false documents and sites of false banks to steal more funds.
- The victims are pressed to pay in advance in cryptography or gift cards, often after being added to the WhatsApp chats staged with false “bank processors”.
In a alert He issued on August 13, the Federal Office of Research of the United States presented an elaborate scam in which the scammers are passed through lawyers and law firms, specifically aimed at victims who have already lost money to cryptocurrency schemes.
These false lawyers claim that they can recover stolen funds through legal channels, often citing manufactured government associations or fictional agencies such as the “International Financial Commerce Commission.”
The FBI said the victims are pressed to pay rates in advance, usually in cryptocurrencies or prepaid gift cards, before being channeled in WhatsApp group chats with supposed “bank processors” and other false officials. By the time the objectives realize the trick, their funds have gone.
Red and safeguards
The latest FBI warning reveals that these fake lawyers signatures use disturbingly effective tactics to seem legitimate. A revealing sign is its use of legal documents of authentic appearance with a stolen letterhead of real companies, combined with claims of special associations with government agencies, an immediate red flag since no private law firm has such official designations.
What makes these scams particularly insidious is the level of investigation carried out in the victims. Scammers often know precise details about the previous losses of their objectives, including the exact amounts stolen, transactions dates and even the names of the original scam operations.
This intimate knowledge disarms the victims, making false lawyers look more credible. The scheme generally increases when victims are aimed at registering accounts in what appear to be foreign banks, complete with professional -looking websites that are actually sophisticated facades designed to harvest more funds.
The FBI defense play book
Experts in compliance with the law recommend adopting what they call a “zero confidence” approach when it comes to recovery offers. This means automatically treating any unexpected contact with skepticism until the opposite is demonstrated.
The FBI emphasizes that any negative to appear in the chamber or provide basic license information should be considered an immediate decisive factor.
The FBI also advises to keep detailed records of all interactions, including saving correspondence by email and recording video calls when possible. This documentation could be invaluable to researchers.
