FBI warns of fraudulent misuse of Bitcoin ATMs
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recently announced that the number of scams using bitcoin ATMs and digital currencies is increasing. The security agency has recommended ways to prevent American citizens from falling into the trap of fraudsters.
to the Report Crypto Potito, the FBI recently warned of an increase in the number of fraudsters using digital currency ATMs and QR codes to trick users. The FBI noted in its report that users can protect themselves by dealing with such scams.
QR codes, or barcodes that can be scanned with a smartphone camera, are used in digital currency ATMs to deposit money to various accounts. Profiteers also seem to have found a way to use these barcodes in some scams.
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A recent FBI warning describes how fraudsters engage in malicious activity.
The US Federal Police wrote in its report:
The FBI is seeing an increase in the number of scammers directing their victims to use digital currency ATMs and QR codes to pay.
The FBI says perpetrators often deceive victims by pretending to be a well-known institution, such as a government, law firm, executive branch or service company.
The FBI points to two other tricks used by criminals. The first method is that the perpetrator gains the victim’s trust by creating a sense of intimacy through the Internet. In the second method, the scammer tells the victim that he or she has won the lottery and that he or she must pay a certain fee to receive his or her prize.
The methods of deception using digital currency ATMs and QR codes are the same in these scams. Scammers ask victims to deposit their money into ATMs, usually withdrawn from investment or retirement accounts. The deceived person then buys some digital currency and enters the recipient’s address to deposit the currency using the QR code.
Fraudsters automatically acquire these digital currencies upon payment. In some cases, they even transfer the received tokens immediately to an account outside the United States. Therefore, the authorities find it very difficult to deal with such crimes.
What is the FBI offer?
According to the FBI, people should not pay anyone they have never met; Even if they think their virtual connection is completely real. In addition, you should never scan such QR codes and send funds through digital currency ATMs to people with anonymous identities.
The US Federal Police has advised citizens to beware of phone calls in which a mysterious phone number identifies itself and requests payment of digital currency. In such cases, the FBI says you should contact the police instead of sending digital currency.
The FBI has urged U.S. citizens not to use ATMs that operate anonymously and only by receiving email or phone numbers, as the devices most likely do not comply with U.S. regulations and are used in crimes such as money laundering.