Scam Alert! How Scammers Tried to Defraud Australians

This is the second time Australia has been included in our articles with funny news. In September, we told you how Crypto.com mistakenly transferred millions of dollars to a woman from Melbourne. This time the situation is not so harmless, because someone could fall into the trap of scammers.

According to New South Wales police, people are complaining about a new type of scam. Scammers distribute pieces of paper in public places that say “paper wallet”, and there are also Bitcoin logos and QR code printed on its cover.

The basics of the fraudulent scheme is as follows: the victim finds the wallet and scans the QR code. After that, the victim is asked to open a link to gain access to a crypto wallet containing $16,000 AUD (tempting, right?). In the next step, the victim is asked to pay a small fee and specify the details of the wallet, including data for accessing the wallet.

The jubilant victim, plans what he will spend his thousands of Australian dollars on, enters the data and pays the commission. Well, the joy is soon replaced by anger and disappointment, because all funds from the specified wallet disappear.

That's it! Such a simple con. We have not found any information on whether someone has fallen for this trick in the depths of the Internet. Clearly, because nobody would want to admit that they were so easily fooled. Just in case, we'll duplicate the recommendations of the NSW Police here. Yes, many of you probably know that you must not disclose private keys to anyone. But, it is better to remind you of this again, so as not to become a victim of fraudsters in the future.

“If you find a crypto paper wallet similar to this, be aware that it may be a scam! These crypto paper wallets are made to look like real Bitcoin paper wallets. Do not try to scan the QR code, access the account or supply your private information. Report found items to your local police station”

Four months ago, messages about a similar scam appeared on Reddit. Also Australia, the same paper wallets.

As the years go by, technology changes, but a scam with a wallet lying on the street can still be effective. Dear readers, never tell anyone your private keys! And we continue to observe.