Topic: [INFO] Tips to keep your account safe from thieves and scammers (Read 632 times)

Actually phishing has been going on since 2014 at least, but I don't know how far back you can find it documented here ...

This change used to help, but I don't know if people know about it or not anymore, or even notice it's different.

https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/green-hover-color-for-bitcointalkorg-links-1432118

Edit - Example - Hover over the different links in my signature.

 

Looks like the phishing attempts have been ongoing since June 01, 2018

from user MCHouston:

"User sent me a PM with a link to what seems like a bitcointalk post, upon further inspection it is a link to a completely different site, that looks like bitcointalk trying to steal passwords and try other things.

Link to their profile: https://bitcointalksearch.org/user/faboo005-940588

Screenshot of PM and the real URL it would send you too."

Stay aware that hacked accounts are sending phishing links. Don't click the link sent by an account you don't know.

Yubi also came out with a yubi biometric version....even adding another layer of protection!

https://www.yubico.com/products/yubikey-bio-series/


Passwordless multi-factor authentication
Secure and convenient passwordless MFA login with the YubiKey Bio authenticator and biometric information using a fingerprint, with a PIN as a fallback.


   2Fa is the way to go with these type of log in requirements.

Good looking, we need more like you.

So I can't find anywhere he addresses 2FA directly, but here are some of the many posts brought up about it since 2013.



👍

  2Fa with a yubikey would be great just like Gmail login setup.

Oh, a valid reason? Or does he just not want to spend time on it? because this is the Bitcoin Forum, it should not stay that way indefinitely, new people are starting to discover collectibles, they are coming to the Forum, everyone deserves protection. We don't try to modify the creation of Satoshi, just a 2FA in the forum XD


I completely agree with you, we are not going to put all our efforts on it, in any case we are making newcomers aware of this subject, whether through this post, or by PM, But I just find its not really good that the community does not have a say in it, it's not very Bitcoin.

and yes that for the ebay of this world what Binance or Coinbase do.

You're welcome ! thanks to you too  

You have good points MrCryptHodl  

But I say, let's not focus all our efforts on changing the platform, but keep encouraging change from our users.

You are right, the Binances/Coinbases of the world are simplifying crypto, which is the key for adoption, but those platforms are run under a strict set of rules to govern and protect its users. With that comes necessary restrictions - That mentality is for the ebays of the world.

But I don't totally disagree with your direction and points. Thanks for the discussion  

EDIT: We are both deff on the same page in the overall direction here. I just think we should be hesitant to cater to the convenience for all users on this specific platform; seems like a slippery slope. But +1 for login 2fa!

Unfortunately thermos already said multiple times that 2fa won't be implemented despite the fact that billions were spent on a new forum that nobody uses.. will edit with links later.

ah but when I say that it's a lot for some it's a reality, I mean the PGP is not necessarily for everyone, nowadays people use platforms like Binance or Coinbase with the 2FA of google, I don't think they necessarily see the side being their own bank.

And a lot of people here just buy, that's why I was saying for sellers and creators, I assume that a Creator already has a lot of Opsec behind.

But I agree that the people who are here should get out of their comfort zones and learn in depth, but here people have such a close life and I don't think everyone has time to do that unfortunately

A login 2FA would be a great addition. But I disagree with the mentality of "too much for lot of users here." While that may be true, imo that is the cost/requirement of "being your own bank" and transacting on a community driven platform.

Everyone has a line/comfort zone, if you have not taken the time to learn PGP and the additional steps to protect yourself, you simply haven't been pushed across that line of inconvenience yet. We should encourage new and existing members to cross that barrier and learn, before learning the hard way.

Promoting from newbie status should be a crash course in security; rather than a single merit.

So I've used PGP a lot on Tails or whatever, but I don't know if it's really suitable for all users.

Of course this is one of the best methods, people can check messages and keys etc, but maybe too much for lot of users here.

I don't know if it's possible, but there should at least be the possibility of activating a 2FA with PGP on the forum, because the sales and the sums here are very important, we are not talking about small amount. (So that people who know how to use can set it up on their accounts, especially sellers / creators)

Sounds good - I have some stuff in my sig that can help learn PGP/GPG as well...

I vote for this thread to be added to the permanent list of threads at the top of the forum. Too many people getting scammed here.

Steeley

A few more ways that you can avoid being prey:

1. Employ a robust email software security solution that can detect phishing emails before they reach an end-user. Even if a solution is unable to detect all phishing and spear-phishing emails sent today, a solution that detects an appreciable percentage of phishing messages can decrease your organization’s exposure to phishing-based threats.

2. Leverage user awareness training that addresses real-world email phishing techniques used by threat actors today. For example, teach end users that ransomware attackers are hijacking email accounts and inserting themselves into ongoing conversations to introduce malicious attachments or links into a conversation appearing to come from a trusted user.

3. Caution vigilance for “reply all” emails that contain only an attachment or link with a very brief or no message.

4. Emphasize that “unpaid invoices” is a very common phishing lure."

Citation:

Dwyer, J. (2021, November 30). Understanding the Adversary: How Ransomware Attacks Happen. Security Intelligence. https://securityintelligence.com/posts/how-ransomware-attacks-happen/

It all depends upon how sophisticated this group is and how motivated they are to steal a few thousand dollars of cryptocurrency. Because they have had some success on this forum from users who were either newbies or just not aware of basic security this has given them the incentive to stick around. Its probably a group of maybe one or more people who have used this forum in the past and have an awareness of how our community works. Insiders that have turned to adversaries who now want to make some crypto on the side.

Thank you!

I like this idea pinky

Are the malicious links only harmful if you type in password /username or whatever when in them. Can they download malware onto your computer just clicking on a link ?  ( I'm mainly talking about the malicious and notorious bitcointalk-link) . I have clicked on one before , but immediately closed the browser . Just curious as to what actual happens when you are clicking on a malicious link . I know they are spying on your computer , but that can only happen when in the link right ?

Krispy

AM SUPER MAD , I WOULD  RECOMEND ON EVERY AUCTION FOR THE SELLER TO WRITE DOWN

" BEWARE OF SCAMMER SENDING PM TO CLICK ON A LINK , YOUR ACCOUNT WILL GET HACKED INSTANTLY"  THIS SHOULD BE ON RED ON EVERY AUCTIONS @ ADMIN..............

Hi everyone ! i hope you all are fine ! 

Be careful, a user who participated in my auction had his account hacked, I received a message that he wanted to cancel his order, so I directly sent a message to the user on Twitter and he confirmed that he did not send me this message.

I told him to change his password directly and he just did it.

Whether you are a buyer or a seller you may be scam victim, try to always have a contact outside the forum with your buyer/seller in case you suspect a message and would like to made a double verification, as I have do on twitter.

Pay attention to yourself, I noticed that the "Hackers" are much more present when the activity in our section increases, I advise you to create contacts on Twitter or discord to always be able to do double checks in case of doubts.

Otherwise I hope you all have a good day! 

great, just make sure if you have got anything from an auction in the past few day , pm seller let them knows that if someone request for a refund for whatever reason isnt you. thats how i lost money previous . scammer requested for a refund , and he got the refund, since he knew tx . 

well then i think/hope they are out of luck, I used a 1 time password when i signed up here. I'll change my email password again and try to set up a 2fa for here. Thanks for the reply

well your password has been compromised, scammer will try to get to your email using your password from bitcointalk , if thats the cae ,change your email password.

I got sent a pm from freedom.io today and clicked the link.... like a fool... It "logged me out". I did not go any further. I did change my password to my account right away. What else should I do? Is anything outside of this account vulnerable at this point?

Beware of fucking scammer, everytime someone"Seller"  do an auction . most of the buyer will be getting a pm Link just like the pic buttom. dont F click in the link , your acccount will get hacked  right away. this is how they got me .  .


REMINDER : USER NAME WILL BE " FREEDOM.IO.  " MOST TIME . IF YOU GET A PM FROM THIS USER DELETE MESSAGE AND REPORT IT .

https://ibb.co/X5LHq39

Bump this thread.

Remain vigilant guys, another user was just scammed out of BTC in the past few days.

maybe if we encourage the use of PGP as a standard for encryption of private information/ tx id we can avoid something like this happening again.

We can beat these thieves but we will have to work in coordination. One slip in any of our collective security measures could mean all of us get compromised or doxxed. I think as a whole we should be paying more attention to our security practices so we can all continue to remain safe. As collectables continue to gain in value more sophisticated adversariual groups may enter the space and attempt to prey on collectors. 

My account was taken over instantly , disable email notification , send pm to Seller requesting Refund . I believe there must be a way to send a privnote to seller and a second email using different platform " with privnote password " . Because they knew tx id on privnote . so ADm should let seller and Buyer knows about this issue. like  ALL seller must add a second email on listing  to send password for privnote only.

1- Buy item
2- Send message to seller throught Bitcointalk with a Privnote password protected
3- use a secondary email to email the seller the password for the privnote  + bitcointalk user name+ shipping address

Agree not agree ADM

Pinky, how long until your account was taken-over. Was it right away or was it after you were attempting to make a purchase.

I would prefer not to disclose your real name or your home address to anyone unless they are highly trusted in the community. If the buyer/receiver is in a country where PO Box is available, I would prefer using that instead of risking our house address. If PO Boxes are unavailable in the country where the receiver is present, they should be seeking the help of a friend or someone known to them to receive the packages.

Moreover providing real names/any info related to us to an online stranger is not advisable as we end up in getting doxxed for various reasons. For international shipment, I use a dummy number which can be helpful on various instances too - hence I would suggest using that as well. Also, never use the same bitcoin addresses for receiving payments whatsoever and along with that prefer sending the txID through privnote.com or any safer websites. Posting the txIDs in replies shouldn't be encouraged too.

The link that i click here a few days ago , exactly was the same link from this site , nothing change once i click took me to the home screen of bitcointalk , meaning looks like i was at the site. so idk what kind of tools they have develop on here .i would love to post the link here , but for everyone safe will not post it .  its like my account was clone once i have click at the link . 

Nice thread you started here...good job and thankyou!

Due to a recent uptick in scammer activity I have decided to create a thread based around the tips and tricks that you can use to keep your account safe.

1. Always check the URL of the website you are visiting to make sure it isn't spoofed



Scammers will build elaborate websites that look identical to legitimate websites. All designed to con the target into entering their credentials. Always double check the URL of the website you are visiting in order to make sure it isn't a spoofed website.

In this case scam sites could pose as Bittcointalk.org or Bitcointtalk.org, something like this.

2. Dont click on links from people you dont know/ newbies

Links sent by people you don't know could contain malicious software that could compromise your account or send you to a fake bitcointalk website. As a rule of thumb always verify the link is safe before you click on it. One false move and thieves could compromise your account.

A few examples of links that when clicked will give away your password





3. Encrypt sensitive information  

Your real name, your home address, your phone number if applicable, anything that is important during a transaction. Use privnote.com, PGP keys or zerobin.net. The safest and most secure method Is going to be the use of PGP keys. websites may keep logs even though they say they don't.

4. Use escrow when possible

An escrow agent acts as a independent intermediary during a transaction. This escrow agent keeps both parties safe when exchanging physical goods for crypto. Crypto cant be charged back if you are scammed. Those coins are gone forever. Use trusted and reliable third parties such as Minerjones, Krogoth, Ognasty.

Highest rated escrow agents can be found here: https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/list-bitcointalks-escrow-providers-ranking-blacklist-avoid-scam-276897

5. Dont send coins to people you dont know/ haven't verified who they are.

If you are sending coins directly to someone without using an escrow agent you are putting yourself in a position to be scammed. Always verify this user is trustworthy and has some degree of history trading on the forum before you send coins directly to them. If they dont have a history use an escrow agent.

6. Never type private keys into a computer for any reason whatsoever

The private key is the backdoor to your crypto stored in that account. If you have shared that for any reason whatsoever you should assume that crypto is already compromised and it's just a matter of time before it disappears.

7. Use 2FA whenever possible


2FA stands for two factor authentication. 2FA can save your account if your password becomes compromised. 2FA acts as a physical barrier between the thief and your account. Yubikey, Google authenticator are the tools I recommend you to use. This simple implementation of 2FA could be the last wall of security that saves your account from potential thieves.

8. Dont communicate with scammers/ thieves asking for ransom

If you slipped up, made a mistake and had a security breach, and a scammer is asking for ransom to give you back your information, your crypto or whatever. Don't communicate at all with the scammer and especially don't pay them any money. If someone threatens you in exchange for crypto don't even respond to them. They have no power over you until you respond and they know they have a real person on the other end of the line. Once they know you are alive and breathing they can ramp up their threats.

9. We all make mistakes, it's ok if you do too

If you slip-up and lose access to your account or send crypto to a scammer. Take a deep breath and move on, take it as a learning lesson. We all make mistakes and scammers prey upon the naive among us. If you have a breach in security perhaps it was meant to happen so that you could see the holes in your own security and improve them for next-time.

10. Let other members know if your account was compromised

The thief may quickly try to sell items they don't have and rip off members of the forum. Don't let others fall victim to your lapse in security. Let users know that your account was taken over and that you are working on getting it back. The worst thing you can do is go silent and allow the thief to post on your behalf.

Summery -----

We can beat these thieves but we will have to work in coordination. One slip in any of our collective security measures could mean all of us get compromised or doxxed. I think as a whole we should be paying more attention to our security practices so we can all continue to remain safe.

I hope this guide has helped you keep your accounts and personal information safe from thieves and scammers. If you have any-other tips and tricks feel free to add to the discussion. If this guide has helped you in any way make sure to send some love my way with a merit.