I decided to study a very interesting and well-constructed scam scheme, made quite professionally, and honestly, anyone could fall for it.
I want to share this information with you, maybe it will help someone and save them from losing their data or money.
How it all begins
It all starts when someone messages you on X (Twitter), offering to participate in a podcast, a rather fresh show called Coindesk Podcast
@CoinDeskPodcast
Sounds tempting, of course a bit suspicious, but because of my huge curiosity I decided to see what would happen next.
I checked the account in advance. There were a few red flags right away, like an excessive amount of retweets from Coindesk. But overall, the account of the person who wrote to me looked professionally made, with a strong number of followers, good organic activity, and even a social score of 271.
On top of that, there were many mutual followers, including people I personally know. Still, I decided to go all the way and see what would happen next.
The attention hook
1) The setup
You agree that the podcast will include other guests, people from strong companies, and with topics you are good at.
2) The group chat
They offer to add you to a chat group. I wouldnโt join through a link, so I gave them my Telegram, which was added to a group called "CoinDesk Podcast #187"
3) Building trust
There were already people in the group, and there was an active chat between the host, two other participants, and the person who invited me.
Everyone wrote properly, each had their own speaking style with a bit of slang, it all felt very natural.
The group discussed the podcast itself, asked standard questions (they even asked to send info to an email โfor verificationโ).
Iโve been in real groups like this before, and everything looked exactly the same.
4) Creating normalcy
Then they shared a schedule with possible podcast times. Everyone chose a convenient time. If you picked your slot, someone would say they couldnโt make it and suggest another date. It felt casual, with no pressure or pushiness, just a discussion. I picked a date about six days later.
5) The waiting and the โX dayโ
Nobody bothered me for six days, nobody wrote anything. They just waited for the right day.
And when that day came, they sent a website. To be fair, it was really well made. I take my hat off to these nasty scammers, their design was on point.
Still, when I checked it with a website analyzer, it showed that the site was created very recently. I always check that and advise everyone to do the same.
On that site, youโre supposed to download an app where the actual call would happen.
I think you can already guess what happens next. Once you download it, your data is gone. Everything on your device is theirs.
6) The reveal
As soon as I said in the group that I donโt download anything on my devices and that Iโm only ready to join through trusted platforms like Google Meet, the group was deleted and I was banned.
Curtain down ๐
Thatโs how I โlost my chanceโ to join the Coindesk podcast, hahaha
โ๏ธ Why Iโm writing this
Because there are tons of scams out there.
But this one really makes you lower your guard.
If you or your friends have ever joined similar podcasts, are active in alpha groups, or often talk to people in the Web3 industry, trust me, this scheme looks absolutely identical to a real invitation.
Completely identical. Especially if youโve done this many times before.
Iโd even say itโs designed for those who are usually careful but somewhat media-savvy.
My personal recommendations
- Always doubt everything. Donโt show it, but double-check everything. Itโs crucial for your safety.
- Never download anything new onto your devices without checking it first.
- Any kind of pressure on you is unacceptable. Nobody owes anyone anything. Only you decide what to do. Donโt fall for manipulation and donโt let anyone push you.
- Donโt act on emotions. Sit down, think it over calmly, with a cup of tea or a beer, whatever you prefer.
I really hope this helps someone, and Iโd be happy if you repost it to help others too. Peace to everyone! ๐ค