There are many scammers aiming to defraud crypto investors, and they are developing new methods every day. Social engineering becomes their greatest weapon if the right stories and traps are set up. The only thing investors can do to cope with these methods is to become aware and remain constantly skeptical.
MASAK Crypto SMS Alert
Scammers trying to obtain investors’ exchange login information are testing a variety of methods. For example, they post fake campaign ads on X (Twitter) and direct users to registration links. Or they pay for Google ads and try to lure them with domains similar to the exchange’s internet addresses.
The latest method involved SMS messages that appeared to be sent by MASAK. A COINTURK reader shared a screenshot of such a message. This method, which has been discussed on social media for a while, made an official announcement by MASAK necessary yesterday.
Messages like the one shown above are usually sent illegally from hacked SMS service providers. No matter what the sender’s name says, if you are asked to click on an external link, there is certainly something to be approached with suspicion. SMS messages using the name Paribu today could, in the future, be sent on behalf of other local exchanges or global exchanges like Binance.
In a statement made by MASAK yesterday, it said:
“In recent notifications to our Presidency, it has been observed that some scammers are trying to obtain information by sending short messages (SMS) to certain cell phones stating that ‘digital currency accounts have been restricted due to MASAK investigation’ and by asking citizens to download applications to their phones or enter their identification information on certain internet addresses to supposedly lift the restriction.”
In order not to fall victim to any fraud, it is of great importance that our citizens do not take these messages seriously, do not click on the links in these messages, do not download any applications from these links to their cell phones, and do not enter their identification information on the websites to which these links redirect.”
Victim Psychology
Scammers know the importance of triggering emotional changes in their targets to make social engineering attacks successful, and that is exactly what they do. People are concerned about the seriousness of state institutions and do not want to confront them. That’s why we see scammers presenting themselves as Judges, Prosecutors, Intelligence Officers, or Commissioners.
In the latest attack method, scammers posing as MASAK may devise very different attack scenarios in the future to trap crypto investors in their nets. Therefore, if anyone posing as a government official contacts you and tries to scare you, you can hang up the phone without listening any further.
Authorities like the Police, Intelligence Services, or Prosecutor’s Office will not call you to try to convince you of something or ask you to contribute to ongoing operations over the phone. However, scammers do this. By triggering fear in their targets, scammers can obtain their victims’ information by directing them to fake internet addresses. Moreover, they can do this easily with just a single bulk message.
Therefore, investors need to constantly remind themselves to maintain composure in abnormal situations and not be guided by panic. Besides, no antivirus, firewall, or other software will protect you against these kinds of phishing or social engineering attacks.