PANews reported on March 20 that according to Decrypt, Australian authorities have launched a crackdown on scammers posing as the crypto exchange Binance following a series of cryptocurrency fraud cases against users in the local area. The Australian Federal Police (AFP), the National Anti-Fraud Center (NASC) and Binance Australia jointly issued a warning to alert the public to this complex scam that steals cryptocurrency through false information. It is reported that scammers impersonated Binance representatives through text messages and encrypted messaging platforms, falsely claiming that victims' accounts were hacked. These messages are disguised as legitimate conversations with Binance, containing false verification codes and contact numbers, to induce victims to call the fake hotline. Once the victim makes a call, they will be induced to transfer the cryptocurrency to a "trust wallet" controlled by the scammer.
The AFP worked with international law enforcement agencies to track down the perpetrators, but once the funds were transferred, they quickly circulated through multiple wallets and money laundering channels, making them difficult to recover. Graeme Marshall, commander of AFP cybercrime operations, said: "The AFP worked closely with NASC to ensure that Australian victims were quickly identified and given advice on protecting their cryptocurrency accounts." Authorities advise victims to contact their bank or cryptocurrency exchange immediately and report the incident to the police through ReportCyber, citing reference number AFP-068.
