Summary
• Stealing $2.6 million worth of Solana (SOL) tokens by impersonating cryptocurrency influencer Ansem and using a fake “BULL” token pre-sale.
• On-chain detective ZachXBT exposed this scam; the largest victim lost $1.2 million and similar scams continue.
•As interest in meme coins continues to rise, 57,000 people fell victim to cryptocurrency scams in February, losing more than $47 million.
A scammer claiming to be well-known cryptocurrency influencer Ansem has stolen over $2.6 million in Solana tokens (SOL). The scam unfolded on X (formerly Twitter), capitalizing on the meme token craze to lure investors into a fake pre-sale of a non-existent token called “BULL.”
Against the backdrop of promises of quick returns amid the meme coin craze, investors must remain vigilant and not fall victim to scammers.
How Cryptocurrency Scammers Are Defrauding the Community
On-chain detective ZachXBT reported this daring theft. Scammers imitated Ansem, commenting under Ansem’s official tweets and promoting false “BULL” token pre-sales. This elaborate scam resulted in significant losses, with the largest victim losing nearly $1.2 million.
Even after ZachXBT’s post, cryptocurrency scammers still stole over $250,000. It’s worth noting that the scammers continued to use the same modus operandi on other accounts.
"$2.6 million sent to an account? Why would anyone just send tokens to an account like this? Isn't it simple to write a few lines of code to implement a sales smart contract?" X user Robert Sasu wrote.
X user Robert Sasu wrote,
“$2.6 million transferred to an account? Why would anyone send tokens to an account like this when all it takes is writing a few lines of code to sell a smart contract?”
The scam occurred during the rapid rise of the Book of Meme (BOME) token. BOME is a meme coin on the Solana blockchain that quickly gained traction especially after its listing on Binance.
Scam Sniffer reported that 57,000 people fell victim to cryptocurrency scams in February, with collective losses of approximately $47 million. These scams are primarily phishing attacks executed on social media platforms.
The Ethereum mainnet was the most affected, with users losing 78% of the total stolen funds. Notably, Ethereum-based ERC20 tokens represented the majority of losses, totaling $40 million.
Although there was a 75% decrease in individuals losing more than $1 million, one major theft of $6.2 million occurred on one day in February.
The tactics used by scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated. They often impersonate verified accounts of crypto entities on social media, especially on X. Phishing signatures such as Permit, IncreaseAllowance and Uniswap Permit2 are among their techniques.
Additionally, the number of scam victims increased by more than 10,000 in just one month. However, the total amount stolen fell slightly. This trend points to the growing threat of phishing attacks in the crypto ecosystem.
Investors should exercise caution, especially during periods of intense market activity. Verifying the legitimacy of an investment opportunity is crucial to avoid falling victim to such scams. #加密货币 #投资欺诈
