A pro football player has lost a huge sum of cash to a bank fraud scheme, raising suspicions of insider involvement at JPMorgan Chase.

Minnesota Vikings linebacker Dallas Turner was duped out of $240,000 by a scammer who seemed to have intimate knowledge of his account, reports the Star Tribune.

Someone posing as a Chase banker called Turner and made him think his account was under attack.

Authorities are asking Chase to determine whether bank employees are involved because the scammer “was able to obtain sensitive account details including Turner’s full name, linked phone numbers and [his] LLC account info.”

The fraudster called Turner on February 19th, alleging an impostor was attempting a wire transfer.

Turner, convinced of the threat, rushed to a Chase branch and wired $120,000 to “Island Food Truck LLC.”

That same day, he visited a separate Chase branch and transferred $120,000 to “CNL FL LLC.”

Police say they have several suspects and charges are pending.

To date, around $2,500 of Turner’s cash has been recovered.

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Cybersecurity researchers discovered a vulnerability in McHire, McDonald’s chatbot job application platform, that exposed the chats of more than 64 million job applicants across the United States.

The flaw was discovered by security researchers Ian Carroll and Sam Curry, who found that the ChatBot’s admin panel utilized a test franchise that was protected by weak credentials of a login name “123456” and a password of “123456”.

McHire, powered by Paradox.ai and used by about 90% of McDonald’s franchisees, accepts job applications through a chatbot named Olivia. Applicants can submit names, email addresses, phone numbers, home addresses, and availability, and are required to complete a personality test as part of the job application process.

Once logged in, the researchers submitted a job application to the test franchise to see how the process worked.

During this test, they noticed that HTTP requests were sent to an API endpoint at /api/lead/cem-xhr, which used a parameter lead_id, which in their case was 64,185,742.

The researchers found that by incrementing and decrementing the lead_id parameter, they were able to expose the full chat transcripts, session tokens, and personal data of real job applicants that previously applied on McHire.

This type of flaw is called an IDOR (Insecure Direct Object Reference) vulnerability, which is when an application exposes internal object identifiers, such as record numbers, without verifying whether the user is actually authorized to access the data.

“During a cursory security review of a few hours, we identified two serious issues: the McHire administration interface for restaurant owners accepted the default credentials 123456:123456, and an insecure direct object reference (IDOR) on an internal API allowed us to access any contacts and chats we wanted,” Carroll explained in a writeup about the flaw.

“Together they allowed us and anyone else with a McHire account and access to any inbox to retrieve the personal data of more than 64 million applicants.”

In this case, incrementing or decrementing a lead_id number in a request returned sensitive data belonging to other applicants, as the API failed to check if the user had access to the data.

The issue was reported to Paradox.ai and McDonald’s on June 30.

McDonald’s acknowledged the report within an hour, and the default admin credentials were disabled soon after.

“We’re disappointed by this unacceptable vulnerability from a third-party provider, Paradox.ai. As soon as we learned of the issue, we mandated Paradox.ai to remediate the issue immediately, and it was resolved on the same day it was reported to us,” McDonald’s told Wired in a statement about the research.

Paradox deployed a fix to address the IDOR flaw and confirmed that the vulnerability was mitigated. Paradox.ai has since stated that it is conducting a review of its systems to prevent similar big issues from recurring.

Paradox also told BleepingComputer that the information exposed would be any chatbot interaction, such as clicking on a button, even if no personal information was entered.

Update 7/11/25: Added information from Paradox.

The group, known as Famous Chollima (also referred to as Wagemole), has been using fake interviews to spread malware called “PylangGhost”.

This remote access trojan (RAT), built in Python, is based on an older malware strain called GolangGhost.

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The campaign mainly targets job seekers in India with experience in cryptocurrency. Victims are contacted by fake recruiters posing as representatives of companies, such as Coinbase

$780.2M

Hackers guide the targets through a fake hiring process, which starts with messages and links to job testing sites that appear genuine. After collecting basic information, they invite candidates to a video call that looks like a real interview.

During the call, they ask the victim to enable camera and microphone access and to run certain computer commands. They claim this is needed to install or update video drivers, but instead, it installs the PylangGhost malware.

Once the malware is active, it gives hackers remote access to the person’s computer. It can collect system information, take screenshots, move files, and stay connected to the machine.

Cisco Talos stated that the malware is used to steal login details from over 80 browser extensions, including MetaMask, Phantom, TronLink, 1Password, NordPass, Bitski, Initia, and MultiverseX. Many of these are used to manage cryptocurrency wallets.

Meanwhile, Mobile Threat Intelligence reported that Crocodilus, an Android malware, has become more dangerous due to recent updates. What can it do? Read the full story.

A new wave of cyberattacks shows the DPRK is exploiting the crypto industry’s recruitment funnel, using fake LinkedIn job offers, deep‑fake Zoom calls, and backdoored interview files to access Web3 developers’ wallets and repositories.

With seasoned developer talent already thinning and open‑source protocols increasingly reliant on individual contributors, the stakes have never been higher.

North Korean hackers developer infiltration

On 18 June , cybersecurity firm Huntress reported a campaign attributed to BlueNoroff, a notorious Lazarus Group subgroup targeting a developer at a major Web3 foundation.

The ruse began with a polished recruiter pitch on LinkedIn, followed by what appeared to be a Zoom interview with a senior executive. In reality, the video feed was a deep‑fake, and the “technical‑assessment” file the candidate was asked to run, `zoom_sdk_support.scpt`, deployed cross‑platform malware dubbed BeaverTail that can harvest seed phrases, crypto‑wallets, and GitHub credentials.

These tactics represent a sharp escalation. “In this new campaign, the threat‑actor group is using three front companies in the crypto consulting industry … to spread malware via ‘job‑interview lures,’” researchers at Silent Push wrote in April, referring to companies such as BlockNovas, SoftGlide, and Angeloper. All three maintained U.S. corporate registrations and LinkedIn job posts that easily passed HR sniff tests.

The FBI seized the BlockNovas domain in April . By then, multiple developers had reportedly sat through fake Zoom calls where they were urged to install custom apps or run scripts. Many complied.

These aren’t simple smash‑and‑grab scams but part of a well‑funded, state‑directed campaign. Since 2017, North Korean hacking groups have stolen over $1.5 billion in crypto, including the $620 million Ronin/Axie Infinity hack.

The stolen assets are routinely funneled through mixers such as Tornado Cash and Sinbad, laundering Pyongyang’s take and ultimately bankrolling its weapons programme, according to the U.S. Treasury.

“For years, North Korea has exploited global remote IT contracting and crypto ecosystems to evade U.S. sanctions and bankroll its weapons programs,” said Sue J. Bai of the DoJ’s National Security Division. On 16 June, her office announced the seizure of $7.74 million in crypto tied to the fake‑IT‑worker scheme.

Crypto developer focus

The targets are carefully selected. The open‑source nature of crypto protocols means that a single engineer, often pseudonymous and globally distributed, may hold commit privileges to critical infrastructure, from smart contracts to bridge protocols.

Electric Capital’s most recent publicly available Developer Report counted about 39,148 new active crypto developers, with total developers down roughly 7% year‑on‑year. Industry analysts say the supply of seasoned maintainers has only tightened, making each compromised developer disproportionately dangerous.

That imbalance is why the hiring pipeline itself has become a cybersecurity battleground. Once a front‑company recruiter gets past HR, engineers, eager for stability in a bearish market, may not spot the red flags in time. In several cases, the attackers even used Calendly links and Google Meet invites that silently redirected victims to attacker‑controlled Zoom look‑alike domains.

The malware stack is advanced and modular. Huntress and Unit 42 have catalogued BeaverTail, InvisibleFerret, and OtterCookie variants, all compiled with the Qt framework for cross‑platform compatibility. Once installed, the tools scrape browser extensions such as MetaMask and Phantom, exfiltrate `wallet.dat` files, and search for terms like “mnemonic” or “seed” in plaintext files.

Yet despite the technical sophistication, law‑enforcement pressure is mounting. The FBI’s domain seizures, the DoJ’s financial forfeitures, and Treasury sanctions on mixers have begun to raise the cost of doing business for Pyongyang’s hackers. The regime, however, remains adaptive.

Each new shell company, recruiter persona, or malware payload arrives wrapped in more convincing packaging. Thanks to generative‑AI tools, even the fake executives in live calls now look and move credibly. DeFi’s trustless systems still rely on a surprisingly small and vulnerable circle of trusted human maintainers.

North Korean crypto target onslaught

Recent CryptoSlate coverage paints a broader canvas of Pyongyang’s crypto onslaught. One year-end analysis found that North Korea-linked groups siphoned $1.34 billion from 47 hacks in 2024, which was a total of 61 % of all crypto stolen that year.

A big slice of that tally came from the $305 million breach of Japan’s DMM Bitcoin, which the FBI says started when a TraderTraitor operative posed as a LinkedIn recruiter and slipped a malicious “coding test” to a Ginco wallet engineer.

The same playbook escalated this February when the bureau attributed a record $1.5 billion Bybit exploit to Lazarus, noting the thieves had already laundered 100,000 ETH through THORChain within days.

North Korean operatives are impersonating venture capitalists, recruiters, and remote IT workers, using AI-generated profiles and deep-fake interviews, to earn salaries, exfiltrate source code, and extort firms in what Microsoft researchers call a “triple-threat” scheme.

In a world where jobs can be remote, trust is digital, and software runs the money, the subsequent state‑sponsored breach may begin not with an exploit but with a handshake.

Mentioned in this article

Crypto Journalist

Anas Hassan

Crypto Journalist

Anas Hassan

About Author

Anas is a crypto native journalist and SEO writer with over five years of writing experience covering blockchain, crypto, DeFi, and emerging tech.

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Last updated: 

June 12, 2025

President Donald Trump has escalated his public feud with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, branding him a “numbskull” while simultaneously pledging not to fire the central bank chief despite mounting frustration over the Fed’s reluctance to slash interest rates.

Speaking at a White House event Thursday, Trump delivered his harshest criticism of Powell’s monetary policy approach, claiming that lowering rates by just one percentage point could save the United States $300 billion annually, while a two-point reduction would generate $600 billion in savings.

Why Trump Wants to ‘Force Something’

Trump’s latest verbal assault marks the third time in two days that his administration has publicly targeted Powell. It follows similar criticisms from Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Vice President JD Vance, who called the Fed’s stance “monetary malpractice.”

The coordinated pressure campaign came from the administration’s growing impatience with the central bank’s independence, particularly as Trump faces re-election pressures and seeks to demonstrate economic leadership.

Despite repeatedly calling Powell “Too Late” and questioning why firing him would be controversial, Trump stopped short of threatening termination, instead ominously suggesting he “may have to force something” if rate cuts don’t materialize soon.

The timing of Trump’s criticism appears strategic, coming as recent economic indicators show inflation cooling and energy prices declining due to increased domestic drilling under his “drill, baby, drill” energy policy.

Powell’s current term as Fed chair expires in May 2026, and Trump has hinted that an announcement regarding his nominee for the next Fed chair could come soon.

Harvard legal experts suggest that while Trump may have constitutional authority to remove Powell, such a move would likely trigger severe market volatility and undermine the Fed’s credibility as an inflation fighter, potentially causing long-term interest rates to spike even if short-term rates were cut.

Presidential Pressure Campaign Intensifies Fed Independence Debate

The escalating confrontation between Trump and Powell is a fundamental clash over Federal Reserve independence with deep constitutional and economic implications.

Trump’s frustration stems from his belief that the current interest rate environment unnecessarily burdens federal borrowing costs, particularly as the government faces mounting short-term debt obligations approved during the Biden administration.

The president argued that Europe has implemented ten rate cuts while the Fed has delivered none, despite similar economic conditions and falling inflation metrics.

Legal scholars say that while the Federal Reserve Act of 1913 allows governors to be removed “for cause,” the Supreme Court’s recent decisions have gradually eroded the traditional “for cause” protections that independent agencies have enjoyed for 85 years.

Harvard Law School’s Daniel Tarullo, a former Fed Board member, suggests that three conservative justices have hinted at potentially treating the Federal Reserve differently from other agencies, possibly creating a carve-out based on the central bank’s historical precedent dating back to the First and Second Banks of the United States.

However, market dynamics may provide Powell with more protection than legal statutes, as any attempt to remove the Fed chair would likely trigger immediate and severe market reactions that would prove counterproductive to Trump’s economic objectives.

The anticipated market volatility is a powerful disincentive, particularly given that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has focused on maintaining stable 10-year Treasury rates, which are key for economic investment decisions.

Recent economic indicators have strengthened Trump’s argument for immediate monetary easing. Inflation data show continued price stability and energy costs declining due to expanded domestic oil production.

The favorable Producer Price Index reading in May has calmed fears about tariff-induced inflation spikes, emboldening the administration to intensify pressure on the Fed while markets increasingly price in potential rate cuts later this year.

Banking giant JPMorgan Chase warns that cracks are beginning to appear in various sectors of the US economy, even as the headlines remain upbeat.

In a new CNBC interview, JPMorgan chief global strategist David Kelly says that hard data is suggesting that the US economy is losing steam despite adding 139,000 jobs in May, beating expectations, and keeping the unemployment rate steady at 4.2%.

But under the hood, Kelly points out that the Labor Department revised down job gains in March and April, while noting that the US lost hundreds of thousands of jobs last month.

“This was a lot softer than the headlines suggested. To me, the one issue is that we saw over 600,000 jobs lost according to the Household Survey. That’s very volatile, but that was a negative signal.

The other thing is cutting 95,000 [jobs] out of the prior two months. 

So we’ve only averaged 124,000 jobs so far this year, per month, for the first five months of the year. It was 168,000 last year. 

When I’m looking at a lot of data, this slowdown is gradually seeping up and spreading across the economy. I think we’re missing it because we’re looking at headline payroll numbers or the weirdness in terms of trade and GDP. But this economy is gradually slowing down here.”

Data from the Pennsylvania-based lender PNC Bank shows that the number of adults working or looking for work dropped by 625,000 in May, effectively negating the number of jobs lost in the same month.

According to the bank, the labor force contraction may indicate that “potential workers are becoming discouraged.”

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