Scammers Stole $500k from Crypto Firm via Fake WhatsApp Chat

Scammers in Hong Kong forged a WhatsApp chat and stole half a million dollars from a crypto company.

The perpetrators hacked an employee's account at the exchange, blocked his contacts, and created an exact replica of the work group. By copying the name, avatars, and participants, they posed as a client to request a cryptocurrency exchange to a specified wallet.

Unaware of the deception, the employee transferred the funds, planning to deduct the amount from the client's account. The fraud was only uncovered after a call to the client, who confirmed that no transactions had been initiated.

Over the past two weeks, Hong Kong police have recorded more than 150 similar cases of fraud. The total damage from these attacks amounted to approximately $1.93 million.