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Google warns crypto investors of Youtube scams amidst high hacking

TL;DR

TL;DR Breakdown

  • Google warn crypto investors to be weary of Youtbe scams.
  • Google says hackers impersonate crypto influencers to run scams on YouTube.
  • YouTube, a hotbed for crypto scams.

Google’s Threat Analysis Group has warned crypto investors to beware of cryptocurrency scams on Youtube as phishing and impersonation on the video-sharing platform surges.

The Google group noted that a group of hackers is taking over Youtube, rebranding popular Youtube channels of well-known crypto or tech companies. “The channel name, profile picture, and content are all replaced with cryptocurrency branding to impersonate large tech or cryptocurrency exchange firms,” the group said, adding that hackers would live stream videos promising crypto giveaways in exchange for “initial contributions.”

According to the Google group, if these hackers don’t rebrand, they sell pages to the highest bidder depending on how many subscribers the channel has. They note that fake Youtube pages sell anywhere from $3 to $4,000.

The Google group notes that a group of hackers recruited in a Russian-speaking forum are actors behind the campaign.

Crypto investors should be warned as YouTube remains a hotbed for crypto scams

The video-sharing platform so many times has been used as a tool to dupe unsuspecting crypto investors. In December, American crypto exchange Gemini exposed two fake YouTube channels that were pretending to be from the exchange.

“These scam accounts are not our company. We have reported these accounts to YouTube,” Gemini tweeted.

Funny enough, it was not the first time Gemini was being impersonated on Youtube.

Crypto scams have been well perpetrated on the platform that the video giants ban crypto content on its platform. Authorities in the UK also warned young crypto investors with campaigns on Youtube and TikTok against being victims of crypto scams.

The cycle of crypto scams across all platforms is one that may never end. As much as crypto exists, crypto scams would remain a thing. The rise in crypto scams recently has been attributed to the surge in price and adoption of cryptos globally. It is safe to say that with crypto prices going up and more people, corporate organizations adopting cryptos, more scammers will be threatening the burgeoning space.

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Muhaimin Olowoporoku

Muhaimin loves writing on crypto news aside from being a crypto enthusiast. He has a knack for analysing issues and updating people on what's happening around the globe. He believes that blockchain and cryptocurrency are the most useful systems of mutual trust ever devised.

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