Security analysts suggest that scammers are honing in on unsuspecting token holders due to Telegram’s backing of The Open Network (TON) blockchain and the Toncoin (TON) token.
From November 2023 onwards, there has been a surge in scams targeting Toncoin holders, paralleling the rise in interest and investments in TON. Perpetrators are pushing elaborate referral schemes to pilfer TON tokens from users.
Prospective targets receive invitations to join a Telegram bot purportedly crafted for cryptocurrency storage and linking a web3 wallet to the bot’s framework. Victims are coerced into acquiring “boosters” through the bot. The scammers assert that users need to undertake this step to initiate earning profits. Nonetheless, procuring a booster results in the irreversible relinquishment of control over the user’s cryptocurrency.
The fraudsters pledge returns from two avenues: a fixed payout of 25 TON for every friend referred by the user, and a commission contingent on the booster rate acquired through referrals. Kaspersky approximates that users fall victim to losses ranging from $2 to $2,700 due to these scams.
In the meantime, Toncoin’s value has declined by over 5% in the last 24 hours, now standing at $5.72, as per CoinMarketCap data. On a monthly scale, TON’s prices have surged by 10%, primarily attributed to various initiatives associated with the Telegram messenger.
Lately, Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, revealed plans for upcoming enhancements to the application. These include enabling sticker creators to earn income from sales and introducing a new feature for donations within the TON ecosystem.
0 Comments