The need for thieves to steal money protected by private keys stored by wallets

• Accessing or copying wallet data files.
• Knowledge of the passphrases (or pins, etc.) used to encrypt the keys of these files.

However, if someone is tricked by a scammer, it is certainly possible that the victim has been tricked into allowing the scammer to access the computer by installing the software they suggested, perhaps by giving screen sharing access to someone they thought was a helper. Their computers may have backdoor access and/or keyloggers installed.

It would be wise to assume the worst case scenario. Create a new wallet with a new key with a new key from an existing computer. I create an on-chain transaction to move money into that clean environment.

An equestrian coach reportedly lost thousands after falling victim to a spoofing scam that offered to protect her bank account from fraud.

NBC 7 in San Diego reports that in June, Alixe Garcia received a text asking her if she authorized a large purchase at Best Buy.

Garcia received a call after texting back “no”.  She says she trusted the call the moment she answered the phone because the caller ID showed it was from a Wells Fargo customer service number.

Garcia says that during the 41-minute call, it sounded as if she was talking with someone who was able to view her accounts. She ended up transferring $5,700 to Apple Cash, believing that the money would be deposited into her new Wells Fargo account that the caller supposedly helped her create.

Thirty minutes later, when she logged in, the money was not there.

“I waited another 30 minutes. I’m, like, ‘Maybe it’s a little slow.’ No money. Then I was just, like, sick thinking about it.” 

She called the bank the next morning, but the agent told her that the person she was talking to was not from the bank.

Her money is also gone. Wells Fargo says that its security controls were functioning as intended, and Garcia ultimately authorized the transfers.

The bank warns consumers that if they get a similar call asking them to send a payment, transfer funds or send their physical cards to stop fraud in their account, they should immediately hang up and call their bank directly.

“Safeguarding our customers’ assets is our top priority, and we are actively working to raise awareness of common scams through various resources and ongoing education. We have robust security measures in place and conduct thorough investigations of fraud and scam reports before making claim decisions.”

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Disclaimer: Opinions expressed at The Daily Hodl are not investment advice. Investors should do their due diligence before making any high-risk investments in Bitcoin, cryptocurrency or digital assets. Please be advised that your transfers and trades are at your own risk, and any losses you may incur are your responsibility. The Daily Hodl does not recommend the buying or selling of any cryptocurrencies or digital assets, nor is The Daily Hodl an investment advisor. Please note that The Daily Hodl participates in affiliate marketing.

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An Arizona couple is reportedly out $20,000 after a Chase Bank employee accidentally unfroze funds taken by a scammer.

In March, the couple received a text asking if they authorized a $399 Zelle payment to “Susan Smith,” according to a new report from 12 News.

They replied “No” and were given a number to call. After calling the number, someone on the other line who was claiming to be a bank employee said the couple’s account had been flagged for fraud. The scammer on the phone also told the couple that it looked like it was  an “inside job.”

Following instructions, the couple went to a Chase Bank and withdrew $20,000 and then opened a new account through Apple Wallet, depositing the money there.

The scammer then stole the money, but employees at Chase Bank managed to freeze the funds later that day. A few days later, however, someone at the bank unfroze the account, allowing the con artist to make off with the money.

Chase has contacted the couple and told them that their case is still open. Peoria police tell 12 News that they’ve identified a suspect in Florida.

A similar incident in Arizona occurred last month when a scammer reportedly drained $27,000 in life savings from a man in Arizona by pretending to be his bank representative.

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A scammer reportedly drained $27,000 in life savings from a man in Arizona by pretending to be his bank representative.

An Arizona resident who wants to only be identified as Dave tells the website Moneywise.com that he received a normal-looking fraud alert from Bank of America, which questioned whether he had authorized a $399 purchase at the electronics store Best Buy.

Dave responded, saying “no,” and then reportedly received a follow-up text from the scammer with a number to call. Someone claiming to be a Bank of America (BofA) representative then told Dave over the phone that his account had been compromised and that he was being targeted by a rogue BofA employee.

The con artist told Dave to withdraw his whole bank account to protect it, and then the scammer instructed him to “secure” the cash using Apple Wallet.

Dave was then walked through creating a scannable card on his phone that was linked to the scammer’s account. The Arizona man then deposited the cash in a bank drive-through, unwittingly transferring the money to a scammer.

“This is my life savings, and I don’t have any assurances, but they sounded so real.”

Peoria Police Department Detective Michael Finney worked with Dave and froze the linked accounts, managing to recover roughly 90% of his funds in five months.

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Large volumes of Pudgy Penguin’s PENGU tokens are flowing from the project’s deployment address to centralized exchanges (CEXs), raising questions amid a strong market rally.

On July 28, blockchain analyst EmberCN, citing Arkham Intelligence data, reported that more than 206.9 million PENGU tokens, valued at approximately $8.91 million, were transferred to various CEXs within the past 24 hours.

He said this is part of a broader transfer pattern observed from the project’s team during the past month.

EmberCN pointed out that the PENGU team has transferred over 2 billion tokens, valued at around $66.6 million, to CEXs during the past month.

Token transfers to exchanges are commonly seen as a sign that holders might be preparing to sell. As a result, the recent PENGU team movements could be viewed as a potential step toward liquidation.

This surge in token movements coincides with a notable price increase. According to CryptoSlate’s market data, PENGU is trading at $0.04278 at the time of writing. The token has climbed 3.3% over the past day, gained over 17% in the past week, and jumped roughly 230% over the last month.

PENGU scam warnings

Meanwhile, the PENGU token rally appears to have drawn attention from scammers who have initiated a new wave of phishing scams targeting the NFT project token holders.

On July 27, Beau, the security expert at Pudgy Penguin, explained that the new scam involves sending small amounts of PENGU tokens, known as “dust,” to random wallets. These tokens use vanity address names that double as fake website URLs.

The security chief pointed out that this scam is designed to manipulate users into searching for these vanity names via Solscan.

From there, victims may unknowingly click phishing links that mimic Pudgy Penguins’ branding. If users connect their wallets, they are prompted to sign malicious transactions that drain their assets.

Beau clarified that no legitimate PENGU airdrop or claim is currently active.

He also highlighted another scam involving counterfeit PENGU tokens engineered to act as honeypots. These fake tokens can trap users during swaps and steal their funds.

These events reflect the growing sophistication of crypto scams, especially during market rallies. As PENGU gains momentum, users are urged to stay alert, verify token sources, and avoid interacting with unsolicited airdrops.

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Scammers are reportedly posing as bank fraud investigators to steal money from unsuspecting victims.

According to WPLG Local 10, the Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) in Florida has issued a warning about the scheme and is urging the public to be vigilant amid rising cases of bank-related phone scams.

WPLG reports that the BSO Pompano Beach District has already received more than a dozen complaints from residents who were tricked into handing out thousands of dollars to the scammers.

Deputies say that one victim lost $15,000 to the scheme. A couple was also tricked into giving up their debit cards and personal identification numbers (PINs), resulting in more than $9,000 in fraudulent charges.

The bad actors typically contact their prospective victims, pretending to work for the fraud department of the victim’s bank.

The scammers then claim there are suspicious activities on the victim’s account that require immediate action to protect the funds. They then tell the victims to withdraw large sums of money or hand over their debit cards and PINs.

In some cases, the scammer arranges for an Uber to pick up the money or the debit card, instructing the victim to place the envelope containing these items in the backseat and not speak to the driver.

The police say that legitimate banks will not tell their clients to withdraw money and send it through a ride-share service, nor will they ask to hand over debit cards and PINs to a third party.

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An ATM scheme has reportedly drained tens of thousands of dollars from elderly customers of the biggest banks in the United States.

New York City police are warning senior citizens to be on the lookout for a trio of scammers at ATMs after a crime spree that occurred between May and June, reports The New York Post.

Authorities warn that the group – made up of two men and a woman – act as good Samaritans by offering to help the elderly use the ATM or strike up a conversation with them as a distraction to try and steal their bank cards.

Police say that on May 14th, the trio stole $20,000 from the bank account of a 90-year-old woman and drained $3,000 from the account of an 83-year-old woman in two separate incidents that occurred just one hour apart.

On June 2nd, one of the thieves started up a conversation with a 71-year-old man while withdrawing cash at a Chase Bank ATM. While the victim was distracted, the scammer stole the man’s bank card and linked up with another man at a different Chase Bank ATM location, where they tried to take out $5,500.

The 71-year-old says the scammers charged $6,000 to his account in just one hour.

The thieves struck again on June 19th when they targeted an 86-year-old woman and stole about $24,000 from her account.

According to the police, the trio is responsible for stealing at least $70,000 from elderly victims.

Authorities say that a total of nine incidents of thieves using the same scheme against seniors at Chase Bank, Bank of America, Capital One and Citibank locations in New York were reported between May 8th and June 26th.

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Scammers posing as Wells Fargo’s fraud representatives reportedly stole thousands of dollars from a Texas couple’s bank account.

Joan Leon, of Kingwood, Texas, says she received a call that looked like it was coming from her local Wells Fargo branch, making her trust the caller, reports Fox26 Houston.

Leon says she was told to cut her bank card in half, and that someone with the Wells Fargo fraud department would come by and pick it up. Leon says she did as directed, only to learn later that the scammer used the card at a nearby Kroger to drain the account of $8,000.

Initially, Leon says Wells Fargo refused to reimburse the stolen funds and that the bank even accused her of being complicit in the theft.

However, the bank later reversed its decision and reimbursed the stolen money.

Her husband, Michael Leon, says the bank reversed its decision only after he told them that “if we don’t get our money back, we are going to make it our goal to get our money back.”

He says that’s why they reached out to the media to discuss the situation and filed a report with the Houston Police Department.

Wells Fargo had not responded to the media’s inquiry about the matter at time of writing.

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Bottom line: A recent warning from Malwarebytes explains that users searching for tech support phone numbers can encounter fake contact information, even when visiting the official websites of major brands. Users should carefully examine text appearing in support site search bars and approach sponsored Google search results with caution, if at all.

Many people likely understand that they should verify URLs when visiting sites for banks, tech companies, and other critical services to avoid fraudulent links. While steering clear of links in suspicious emails is a well-known security precaution, hackers also frequently purchase sponsored Google ads that lead to fake websites designed to steal personal information.

However, the latest scam is even sneakier. Instead of creating fake websites, scammers inject false tech support numbers into legitimate sites by modifying parameters in sponsored search links. Search engines don’t display the added text in the URLs, and official support pages don’t block it, making the scam appear more convincing.

The scheme begins when users search Google for tech support numbers for major brands. Clicking on a top sponsored result leads to an actual support page, but the scammer’s phone number appears in the site’s search bar.

Unsuspecting users who call the number, thinking they’ve reached the company’s call center, are instead connected to scammers attempting to steal account credentials or banking information. Malwarebytes reports that attackers have targeted support pages for Netflix, PayPal, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, Bank of America, and HP. These hijacked search results are hardest to spot on Apple’s website.

Malwarebytes says its Browser Guard extension can detect this tactic as a search hijack and warn users. Other red flags include phone numbers appearing at the end of legitimate URLs, excessive use of alarming language, encoded characters like “%20,” and search pages showing results before users enter a query.

To stay safe, users should look up support numbers in previously verified communications, such as past emails or direct messages from the company, and compare them with current search results. If a support representative asks for personal or banking information unrelated to the issue, hang up immediately.

Manually navigating to a company’s website and accessing the support section (without relying on search engines) can also help avoid hijacked sponsored links. Verified links can often be found in trusted communications or on the company’s official social media profiles and Wikipedia page.