Be careful – be ware of a new scam with alleged cryptocurrency, warned the Computer Crime and Digital Forensics Sector of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republic of North Macedonia through a press statement.
Scammers target Macedonian internet users via the social networks or via e-mail in order to lure them to a fake web page that promises easy profit through purchase of a “new digital cryptocurrency” from China.
Clicking the link leads the users to a fake web page: https://hiphop2610.myshopify.com/blogs/news/china-s-bank-says-it-has-completed-top-level-design-of-digital-currency?fbclid=IwAR3BZ8svkOdWa7_QkTV6Yf2AyyScQjTBuZqK8sdKB2sAe8FgG5vMWttmYKg which purports to show a copy of an alleged article from Forbes. Clicking on any link on that page redirects towards the website: https://yuan-payments.com/ hosted in Ukraine.
Within several minutes after unsuspecting users had registered on the page, leaving their personal data, they had been telephoned by unknown perpetrators who started persuading them to invest in the new Chinese cryptocurrency as soon as possible, because it’s price is rising by the minute.
This situation is very similar to the affair with an alleged cryptocurrency called OneCoin, perpetrated by convicted Bulgarian fraudster Ruja Ignatova. Her Ponzi scheme managed to swindle hundreds of victims around the world, who had lost thousands to tens of thousands of euros each, believing in the promises that they would return their investments many times over.
The Macedonian cyber-crime authorities had determined that the fake website had been registered by a Russian citizen, and warned that in this and all similar cases promising easy profit the citizens should be not open suspicious links received va the social networks or e-mail.
“The texts and articles on that website are written in persuasive manner, in order to make citizens believe in their authenticity and are a result of a very sophisticated swindling procedure. The initial sum required for this investment is 250 US dollars, and then the fraudsters attempt to extract larger amounts of money through subsequent communication,” warned the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The police cautions individual citizens and legal persons against opening suspicious links and e-mail attachments sent by unverified and unknown senders. They are advising companies and organizations to conduct appropriate security measures and protect their computer systems from potential malicious software based on developing internal cyber-security procedures.
