Tether’s CEO Paolo Ardoino Raises Concerns About Fake Airdrop Emails Amid Compromised Crypto Mailing List
In a worrying development, Tether’s CEO, Paolo Ardoino, has confirmed that a key vendor responsible for managing mailing lists for various crypto companies has been compromised. This breach has potentially exposed sensitive information, leading to the circulation of fraudulent emails suggesting crypto-airdrops.
Various industry leaders have highlighted the gravity of this breach, emphasizing the threat it poses to security and trust within the crypto community. Malicious actors could leverage the compromised data to deceive users and perpetrate scams.
Ardoino has underscored the seriousness of the situation, revealing that Tether has received two separate confirmations indicating that a prominent vendor utilized by crypto firms to handle mailing lists may have been compromised. He took to Twitter to stress the importance of being cautious with unsolicited emails, particularly those related to crypto airdrops, and advised against clicking on links or downloading attachments from unfamiliar or suspicious sources.
Further insights on this issue from Bobby Ong, co-founder of CoinGecko, suggest that there is an ongoing supply chain email breach attack affecting an email newsletter vendor. CoinGecko, a cryptocurrency tracking platform potentially impacted by this breach, is actively collaborating with its vendor to assess the extent of the compromise. Ardoino has also raised awareness about the possibility of a targeted supply chain attack against the crypto industry.
The Emergence of Targeted Large-Scale Crypto Attacks
Reports have emerged of fraudsters in South Korea targeting Ethereum holders with a new scam. Recipients are receiving alarming text messages claiming that their ETH coins will be “burned” on May 22 unless immediate action is taken. These messages, allegedly from a fictitious global exchange called Bit-Finance, urge users to click on phishing links to safeguard their funds. The scam has garnered attention within the crypto community, prompting users to caution one another online and share screenshots of the deceitful messages.
South Korean authorities have noted a surge in cybercrimes related to virtual assets, with crypto-themed phishing scams becoming increasingly prevalent. The National Police Agency reported a 7.68% rise in cyber fraud cases last year, with virtual asset-related crimes accounting for over a third of the total.
In a similar vein, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) has issued a warning regarding the uptick in cryptocurrency scams targeting Canadian citizens, particularly in the realms of pig butchering, romance, and investment scams. These scams often involve extended online interactions, with fraudsters assuming false identities as friends, romantic partners, or legitimate investment advisors. Victims are lured into fake crypto investment schemes promising unrealistic returns.
To combat these scams effectively, the CAFC, in collaboration with the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO), encourages citizens to report instances of fraud. Canada plans to adopt the Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) by 2026, introducing new reporting obligations for crypto-asset service providers in a bid to address the rising incidence of investment frauds and social media-related scams.
