Scam
Telegram Mini Apps abused for crypto scams, Android malware delivery
Cybersecurity researchers have uncovered a large-scale fraud operation that uses Telegram’s Mini App feature to run crypto scams, impersonate well-known brands, and distribute Android malware. A new report by CTM360 says the platform, dubbed FEMITBOT, is based on a string found in API responses and uses Telegram bots and embedded Mini Apps to create convincing, […]
Police dismantles 9 crypto scam centers, arrests 276 suspects
A joint international operation involving U.S. and Chinese authorities arrested at least 276 suspects and shut down nine cryptocurrency investment fraud centers. The crackdown was led by Dubai Police under the UAE Ministry of Interior and targeted crime networks running so-called pig-butchering schemes (also known as romance baiting), a form of fraud in which scammers […]
European police dismantles €50 million crypto investment fraud ring
Austrian and Albanian authorities dismantled a criminal ring accused of running a large-scale cryptocurrency investment fraud operation that caused estimated losses of over €50 million ($58.5 million) to victims worldwide. The joint action, which started in June 2023 and was supported by Europol and Eurojust, led to the arrest of 10 suspects and searches of […]
FTC: Americans lost over $2.1 billion to social media scams in 2025
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warned of a massive increase in losses from social media scams since 2020, exceeding $2.1 billion in 2025. According to reports to the FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network, all age groups (except those 80 and over, who were mainly targeted via phone calls) lost more money to scams originating on […]
FBI: Americans lost a record $21 billion to cybercrime last year
U.S. victims lost nearly $21 billion to cyber-enabled crimes last year, driven primarily by investment scams, business email compromise, tech support fraud, and data breaches, the Federal Bureau of Investigation says. The figure continues the year-over-year record trend as it is up 26% compared to 2024, when Americans lost $16.6 billion to cybercrime. A similar uptick was recorded […]
UK sanctions Xinbi marketplace linked to Asian scam centers
The United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has sanctioned Xinbi, a Chinese-language online marketplace that sells stolen data and satellite internet equipment to scam networks in Southeast Asia. The Telegram-based marketplace Xinbi is also believed to have helped North Korean threat actors launder cryptocurrency stolen in large heists from companies and individuals worldwide. […]
Nordstrom’s email system abused to send crypto scams to customers
Customers of upscale department store chain Nordstrom received fraudulent messages from a legitimate company email address that promoted cryptocurrency scams disguised as a St. Patrick’s Day promotion. The emails promise recipients to double the cryptocurrency amount deposited to a specific wallet address over the next two hours. “Send cryptocurrency to any of your unique deposit […]
Meta adds new WhatsApp, Facebook, and Messenger anti-scam tools
Meta is introducing new anti-scam protections across its platforms, deploying systems and user-facing warnings to protect users against scammers. The new features are designed to help catch fraud attempts before WhatsApp, Facebook, and Messenger engage with them. WhatsApp now alerts users when behavioral signals suggest a device-linking request may be fraudulent, a tactic scammers have […]
Ghanain man pleads guilty to role in $100 million fraud ring
A Ghanaian national pleaded guilty to his role in a massive fraud ring that stole over $100 million from victims across the United States through business email compromise attacks and romance scams. 40-year-old Derrick Van Yeboah pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud on Thursday and agreed to pay more than $10 million in […]
Police arrests 651 suspects in African cybercrime crackdown
African law enforcement agencies arrested 651 suspects and recovered over $4.3 million in a joint operation targeting investment fraud, mobile money scams, and fake loan applications. As INTERPOL revealed on Wednesday, Operation Red Card 2.0 identified 1,247 victims between December 8 and January 30 while targeting cybercrime operations linked to over $45 million in financial […]