Hackers riding the holiday wave of interest in digital assets have robbed users of cryptocurrencies worth $3 million. What’s more, this is just data from Christmas! Scammers target unsuspecting users who they lure to fake sites draining cryptocurrency wallets.
Google Ads Redirecting to Fake Wallet-Draining Sites – Hackers Riding the Christmas Wave
Hackers stole digital assets worth $3 million in just 24 hours on Christmas Day. Such a spectacular scam was successful thanks to the use of Google Ads ads that directed users to fake sites draining cryptocurrency wallets. This information was confirmed by Scam Sniffer in entries on the X portal. The company actively combs the web for cryptocurrency scams, revealing the addresses of not only victims but also scammers.
Christmas was an exceptionally hot time for Scam Sniffer, as the number of cryptocurrency scams broke all records that day. According to the company, hackers on the holiday wave stole mainly such cryptocurrencies as Wrapped Bitcoin (wBTC), Aave Polygon USD (aPolUSDT), Aave USDC (aUSDC), and Tether from users’ wallets. Using Google Ads turned out to be a Christmas hit for hackers.
Interestingly, a Scam Sniffer spokesperson confirmed that Google Ads Security was informed about the ongoing promotion of fake sites and their use to empty cryptocurrency wallets. This information reached Google as early as April 2023. However, Scam Sniffer has not yet received a response from Google.
Hackers show no signs of slowing down during the holiday season – is the Web3 sector increasingly at risk?
December 2023 is primarily about the attack on the Ledger library and the placement of malicious code in it that drains wallets. This attack clearly showed that cybersecurity requires not only strengthening security, but also education on the part of users. The Christmas wave of hacker attacks on owners of digital assets shows that there is still much to be done in this matter. Of course, it is not only about education about cyber threats, but also a faster response from giants such as Google to the use of Google Ads for hacking activities.
