The search engine DuckDuckGo has begun displaying phishing sites when searching for 'Etherscan'. This error can pose significant financial risks to cryptocurrency investors.
Phishing Sites in Search Engine
On September 11, Scam Sniffer alerted DuckDuckGo users about an ongoing phishing attempt targeting Ether (ETH) investors. Once on a phishing site imitating Etherscan, users may be prompted to connect their MetaMask wallets. Approving the connection request allows hackers to withdraw funds from the user's wallet without further authorization. Attackers also aim to rank their phishing websites on other popular search engines such as Google and Bing, using both organic ranking methods and sponsored banner ads.
Damage from Phishing Attacks
According to Scam Sniffer, an incident on September 10 led to a user losing over $520,000. In August, crypto phishing scams resulted in over 9,100 victims, with total losses amounting to about $63 million. One victim lost $55 million in Dai (DAI). Although the total number of victims has decreased compared to last year, the amount stolen increased by 215%.
Phishing Risks on Telegram
In July, blockchain security firm SlowMist alerted against a large-scale phishing attack on the Telegram-linked blockchain platform The Open Network (TON). SlowMist founder Yu Xian noted, 'The Telegram ecosystem is too free, and many phishing links — or bot forms — are spread through message groups, airdrops and other deceptive methods to lure away users’ TON wallets in batches.' Phishing risks on Telegram are higher for users with anonymous numbers, which are used to create Telegram accounts not tied to SIM cards.
Users are advised to be particularly careful when clicking on links in search engines and to verify URL addresses before connecting cryptocurrency wallets.
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