More than 40% of the content about cryptocurrencies in the messenger is fraudulent.
Analysts at Angara Security have studied publications about cryptocurrencies in open Telegram channels using OSINT tools. According to a study reviewed by Forbes, in 2023, about 22,000 materials on the topic of cryptocurrencies were identified, of which about 9,000 were considered suspicious and removed. The materials were deleted for various reasons: based on user complaints, actions of Telegram technical support, and statements made by Threat Intelligence specialists. Some messages were deleted by criminals themselves for later use on other platforms. Despite the deletion, this data remains in the Telegram archive for analysis.
Most of the deleted messages suggested investing in the crypto market with the promise of getting rich quickly, for example, turning 1,000 rubles into 70,000 rubles. For this purpose, aggressive names of Telegram channels were used, such as "earnings now", "path to success", "smart investments", "crypto farm", "crypto babos", "official channel", etc. The main types of content on such channels included courses on earning money on cryptocurrencies, offers on deposits in crypto assets, and hidden advertising on various platforms.
In addition, scammers paid attention to the problems of both ordinary users and companies. They attracted attention with phrases like " your assets will not be frozen...", offering legal entities to register offshore companies and invest in cryptocurrency to avoid formalities when legalizing business in foreign jurisdictions.
In 2023, about 1,500 domains related to cryptocurrency investments were registered in the Russian-speaking segment of the Internet, 50% of which appeared in the fourth quarter. At the same time, many of the registered domains used links to the Binance and CommEX platforms. "697 domains are now inactive — this is 47% of all registered domains for 2023. Some of them were blocked by domain registrars, some are already being sold to the next users, some are empty without content, " Angara Security clarified.
The Binance cryptocurrency exchange stopped working in Russia by the end of last year, after which scammers began to mimic the CommEX platform, creating similar projects for the purpose of extortion.
According to Mediascope, Telegram shows high growth rates among communication platforms, its coverage in October 2023 was 82.3 million people, which is 15% more than in the same period last year, and 62% more than in the fall of 2021. In two years, the Telegram audience in Russia has grown by more than 30 million people.
Cybersecurity experts emphasize that cryptocurrency continues to attract the attention of scammers and cybercriminals. Investment fraud involving cryptocurrencies often involves using the names of famous people and brands. There is an increase in the number of cryptoscams and phishing attacks, especially through platforms like Telegram. There are more reports about the sale and purchase of fraudulent schemes related to cryptocurrencies. Attackers actively use a variety of methods to attract an audience to phishing and fraudulent resources, including creating fake websites and companies associated with the crypto industry, as well as using fake accounts and advertising on social networks.
Analysts at Angara Security have studied publications about cryptocurrencies in open Telegram channels using OSINT tools. According to a study reviewed by Forbes, in 2023, about 22,000 materials on the topic of cryptocurrencies were identified, of which about 9,000 were considered suspicious and removed. The materials were deleted for various reasons: based on user complaints, actions of Telegram technical support, and statements made by Threat Intelligence specialists. Some messages were deleted by criminals themselves for later use on other platforms. Despite the deletion, this data remains in the Telegram archive for analysis.
Most of the deleted messages suggested investing in the crypto market with the promise of getting rich quickly, for example, turning 1,000 rubles into 70,000 rubles. For this purpose, aggressive names of Telegram channels were used, such as "earnings now", "path to success", "smart investments", "crypto farm", "crypto babos", "official channel", etc. The main types of content on such channels included courses on earning money on cryptocurrencies, offers on deposits in crypto assets, and hidden advertising on various platforms.
In addition, scammers paid attention to the problems of both ordinary users and companies. They attracted attention with phrases like " your assets will not be frozen...", offering legal entities to register offshore companies and invest in cryptocurrency to avoid formalities when legalizing business in foreign jurisdictions.
In 2023, about 1,500 domains related to cryptocurrency investments were registered in the Russian-speaking segment of the Internet, 50% of which appeared in the fourth quarter. At the same time, many of the registered domains used links to the Binance and CommEX platforms. "697 domains are now inactive — this is 47% of all registered domains for 2023. Some of them were blocked by domain registrars, some are already being sold to the next users, some are empty without content, " Angara Security clarified.
The Binance cryptocurrency exchange stopped working in Russia by the end of last year, after which scammers began to mimic the CommEX platform, creating similar projects for the purpose of extortion.
According to Mediascope, Telegram shows high growth rates among communication platforms, its coverage in October 2023 was 82.3 million people, which is 15% more than in the same period last year, and 62% more than in the fall of 2021. In two years, the Telegram audience in Russia has grown by more than 30 million people.
Cybersecurity experts emphasize that cryptocurrency continues to attract the attention of scammers and cybercriminals. Investment fraud involving cryptocurrencies often involves using the names of famous people and brands. There is an increase in the number of cryptoscams and phishing attacks, especially through platforms like Telegram. There are more reports about the sale and purchase of fraudulent schemes related to cryptocurrencies. Attackers actively use a variety of methods to attract an audience to phishing and fraudulent resources, including creating fake websites and companies associated with the crypto industry, as well as using fake accounts and advertising on social networks.
