The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a warning about a new tactic used by cybercriminals to steal millions of dollars' worth of cryptocurrency from unsuspecting victims through fake rewards in "play-to-earn" mobile and online games. The criminals create custom-made gaming apps that offer large financial rewards to players in exchange for investments made to potential targets with whom they have established trust through lengthy online conversations.
The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has released a Public Service Announcement describing how these criminals contact victims online and introduce them to games where they can earn cryptocurrency rewards for completing certain activities. Victims are then instructed to purchase cryptocurrency and create a crypto wallet to participate in the games. The criminals promise that the rewards increase as the victim stores more money in the wallet, but when the victims stop depositing funds, the criminals drain their wallets by enticing them with fake rewards.
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Moreover, the criminals will tell victims that they can recover their investments by paying additional taxes or fees, but this is just a ploy to scam them out of more money.
The FBI recommends that people remain vigilant and avoid investing in such games unless they are certain that the game is legitimate. They advise users to verify the credibility of the gaming app and the developer before investing any money. They also suggest that users should not disclose personal information online or send money to people they do not know.
Meanwhile, a new report by cybersecurity firm Kaspersky has revealed that cybercriminals distributed over 400,000 new malicious files every day in 2022, indicating a 5% increase from the previous year. Approximately 122 million malicious files were detected in 2022, up by 6 million from 2021. This highlights the need for increased cybersecurity measures to protect individuals and organizations from these threats.
(With inputs from IANS)
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