A new crypto scam: Fraudsters are posing as Olympic Committee members
- Crypto scammers are once again using current events to target gullible crypto users.
- With the Olympics postponed, they are posing as Olympic Committee members, asking for money.
- Attackers are targeting Japanese citizens, stating that not donating will make Japan look bad in front.
The surge in various crypto scams continues to spread across the industry. Scammers already attempted to trick people out of their digital coins in numerous different ways. They attempted blackmail, phishing attacks, fake giveaways, and more. They even used the coronavirus pandemic to try and trick others out of their money.
Now, however, a new campaign emerged, where a series of emails started arriving. The emails claim that they come from Olympic Committee members. They also ask that people donate to their organization in Tokyo.
Postponed Olympics Games gave birth to a new scam
It is no secret that the on-going pandemic disrupted the entire world. Whether it is businesses, sports, conventions, or something else — everything is delayed and stopped. Only remote work and essential businesses are still going, and for well over a month now.
The same is true for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, which were postponed for the same reason. However, the move also seemingly triggered a new wave of scams. The most recent one, as mentioned, asks for monetary donations while claiming that the request comes from the International Olympic Committee.
The new campaign was already analyzed by a cybersecurity firm, Trend Micro. The company says that scammers claim that donations can help Japanese organizers recover from the postponement of the Olympics.
Not only that, but the fake emails also say that there is a major loss of money that the organizers had suffered. Supposedly, they would have used the money from airline tickets, infrastructure materials, hotels, and alike. With no one coming for the world’s biggest and most popular sporting event, such money will never arrive.
Donations need to come in Bitcoin
The alleged Olympic Committee member has to ask for donations in order to meet a certain funding target. They even said that the international image of Japanese people will be severely damaged if they cannot collect the money. And, of course, Olympics 2020 would surely end up canceled as a consequence.
Of course, scammers also requested that the donations come in Bitcoin. This is not particularly surprising for Japan, where Bitcoin is in everyday use for years, now. Scammers also promised that those who donate will have a 30% discount on the price of tickets for the Olympics.
Scammers sent over 400 similar emails between April 24th and 26th, as reported by Trend Micro.
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