Are You A Bored Ape Owner? BEWARE Of This Forbes Impersonation Scam!
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November 27, 2023 11:37 am
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If you are a BAYC member then pay heed to this warning.
Scammers posing as journalists from the illustrious Forbes magazine are attempting to steal Bored Apes, and likely other digital assets, from Bored Ape holders. The thieves are attempting this by setting up interviews and then using remote controls to access the computers of those they are ‘interviewing.’ Coin Telegraph explained:
Earlier in November, blockchain security firm Slowmist detailed a number of scams in which victims lost crypto assets to fake journalists.
It reported that, after scheduling an interview, the attacker would guide victims to join the interview on Telegram, providing an interview outline, conducting a two-hour interview, and then providing the malicious link to consent to publication.
Obviously, many would jump at the chance to be interviewed by Forbes and wouldn’t suspect that hacking or crypto theft would occur via an interview.
Remote access to computers, cell phones, and other devices connected to the internet is a massive problem and this is a reminder to use the coldest storage possible to custody your funds.
Always be vigilant and weary of interviews, job offers, and airdrops that seem too good to be true, and all other scams—they’re becoming more sophisticated with each passing day. One user detailed his harrowing experience with the scammers:
🧵2/8
It started by a 'Forbes editor' @robertlafranco sending me a DM, I looked up his name, all checked out. (Didn't cross reference his twitter)
real guy -> @rlafranco "— Crumz 🇮🇪 (@crumz10) November 26, 2023
🧵4/8
He didn't show up for the first call 2days ago and said there was a family emergency so postponed it until today.
He was 1hour late but I was excited to talk with Forbes so I didn't mind. They both didn't have their cameras on. Another guy pretending to be @Steven_Ehrlich— Crumz 🇮🇪 (@crumz10) November 26, 2023
🧵6/8
I had to press a button to allow access to record. I didn't think much of it first but at the end he asks me to say something that resembles my ape and he suggests a banana.
I didn't have a banana on hand so he said there is no problem in waiting for me to get one.— Crumz 🇮🇪 (@crumz10) November 26, 2023
🧵8/8
Hopefully I'm safe now. Don't think they can still control my computer when I turn it back on.
Please be safe out there, it could've been a dreadful day today— Crumz 🇮🇪 (@crumz10) November 26, 2023
Cryptopolitan highlighted one similar account:
This echoes a pattern of deception observed in October, where a fake Bloomberg journalist duped a Friend.tech user into clicking a link, resulting in the draining of their Friend.tech account.
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