SPECIAL REPORT quickly deploy new websites and wallets and continue to filch targets ’ risk-free stakes . Cryptocurrency stolen by these scammers is rarely recovered .
Since these scams are constantly evolving , it is important to remain on guard against them and to educate people who may be more vulnerable to them about how to identify these types of fraud .
People who are isolated , seeking romantic contacts , or are otherwise emotionally vulnerable are more likely to be targeted through meet-up and dating applications .
Sean Gallagher , Principal Threat Researcher , Sophos
We have seen other services used as well , everything from Facebook and LinkedIn invitations to AirBnB reservation requests . If someone wants to take the conversation with you to WhatsApp or Telegram to converse outside the scope of an application almost immediately , this is a sign that you may be dealing with a scammer .
Text messages that appear to be misdirected and then turn into offers of friendship are another common lure for these types of scams . p
These sites , over a period of five months , pulled $ 1.08 million worth of cryptocurrency from victim ’ s wallets , with a peak of activity in June through August that netted 86 % of that total .
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