QUADRIGA INITIATIVE
CRYPTO WATCHDOG & FRAUD RECOVERY PLATFORM
A COMMUNITY-BASED, NOT-FOR-PROFIT
UNKNOWN
DECEMBER 2022
GLOBAL
DESCRIPTION OF EVENTS
"Our marketing department came up with an idea: to hold a special giveaway event for all crypto fans out there."
"If you want to participate, it's really easy to do. Just go to these sites to find out more information:"
"Note: Everyone can participate, including those in the United States. You don't need a special account to partipate: all wallets and exchanges are eligible! The competition will last until the entirety of the 5,000 BTC and 100,000 ETH held in the airdrop-funds have been released. IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT YOU! THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!"
"Crypto scams target unsuspecting people, and you could be one of them. A crypto giveaway scam, like the one in question here, is a popular type of scam designed to get people to send scammers their cryptocurrency. Scammers impersonate a celebrity online, normally choosing one associated with crypto such as O'Leary. They send messages claiming to be holding a giveaway for anyone who wants to participate. The link to the "giveaway" includes a crypto wallet address, instructions to send funds to verify your own address, and a promise that you'll get twice as much or more back."
"The Twitter account for Kevin O'Leary, a.k.a. Mr. Wonderful of Shark Tank fame, @kevinolearytv, appeared to be hacked by crypto scammers Thursday. It sent out multiple now-deleted tweets about a crypto giveaway of 5,000 Bitcoin (BTC) and 15,000 Ethereum (ETH), although the accompanying image listed 5,000 ETH. The links to these giveaways prompted respondents to send their own cryptocurrency funds first to verify their wallet address.
These scams typically involve a fake Twitter account impersonating the celebrity in question. In this case, hackers were able to access O'Leary's real account and send out a series of tweets. This included a tweet saying, "My accounts was not hacked! Last night I said on TV that I was going to do a giveaway. Enjoy," as recorded by Jordan Major of Finbold in an early report on the hack."
"Indeed, on December 29, the account pinned a tweet about a supposed giveaway and instructed followers to “click on the picture to join the event.” In a succession of tweets, the TV personality’s followers started to get suspicious due to the volume of tweets and the syntax used."
"Never send cryptocurrency to any unknown wallet addresses. Only transfer cryptocurrency to your own wallet or to someone else if you personally know the recipient. Make sure you have the correct wallet address, as well. Any mistake could result in your transfer being sent to the wrong place and lost forever.
Understand too, what you should and shouldn't be sharing about your crypto assets. You wouldn't give out a credit card number, address, and security code to a random website, nor should you be giving out details of your crypto holdings.
Remember that if your credit card gets hit with a scam, you usually have an ally in the financial institutions backing your card. That's not the case with crypto. Don't get fooled by crypto giveaways, no matter who announces them. It's OK to be skeptical, and if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. The fact that hackers were able to share a scam through O'Leary's Twitter account is another sign of how careful you have to be."
"In exclusive comments to Benzinga, O’Leary says: “I have a message to the hackers. I am coming for you! You got the wrong guy. I will make your lives very interesting!”"
"O’Leary stressed the need for a clear regulatory framework in the U.S. in order to protect investors. “When those things get cleared up it will likely be 10 coins, and I’ll invest in all of them, the rest are as they say sh*tcoins, and they’ll go to zero,” O’Leary said."
A crypto giveaway scam was orchestrated through Kevin O'Leary's Twitter account, @kevinolearytv, where hackers falsely promoted a giveaway of 5,000 Bitcoin and 15,000 Ethereum. O'Leary vehemently vowed to pursue the perpetrators. The scam, a common tactic in cryptocurrency fraud, involves impersonating celebrities and enticing users to send cryptocurrency to a specified wallet address with the promise of receiving more in return. O'Leary emphasized the importance of caution in cryptocurrency transactions, urging users to verify wallet addresses and avoid sharing sensitive information. He also highlighted the necessity of regulatory clarity to protect investors.
https://www.fool.com/the-ascent/cryptocurrency/articles/hackers-use-kevin-olearys-twitter-account-to-promote-crypto-scam/ (Apr 4)
Caution: Kevin O’Leary’s Twitter gets hacked, starts promoting crypto giveaways (Apr 22)
Hackers Use Kevin O'Leary's Twitter Account to Promote Crypto Scam - The Globe and Mail (Apr 22)
EXCLUSIVE: "I Am Coming For You," Kevin O'Leary Declares War On Hackers After Twitter Account Hacked - Benzinga (Apr 22)
Twitter Account of Kevin O'Leary Hacked: Details (Apr 22)
Kevin O'Leary aka Mr. Wonderful (@kevinolearytv) / Twitter (Apr 22)