Coinspeaker
Hamster Kombat Fans Hit by Phishing and Fake Airdrop Scams
Hamster Kombat, a Telegram-based tap-to-earn game, has caught the attention of bad actors looking to take advantage of its viral popularity. This follows multiple reports from players of the game suggesting that they are being increasingly targeted by phishing attacks, according to a recent study carried out by cybersecurity firm Kaspersky.
Security Team Issues Warnings Concerning Hamster Kombat Threats
Weighing in on the matter, Olga Svistunova, who is a security expert and also a member of Kaspersky’s team, says that one of the most common forms of these attacks stems from scammers tricking victims into unknowingly taking potentially self-harming actions. Part of her statement reads:
“Our team has exposed a series of fraudulent schemes targeting users of the Hamster Kombat. In one scheme, scammers lure victims with promises of converting in-game coins to rubles through phishing links that require Telegram login credentials.”
Svistunova further noted that the attacks are only successful once an attacker is able to access a gamer’s credentials. That is because the credentials open up access to personal accounts and other relevant information with which they can carry out their fraudulent acts.
Meanwhile, there is yet another way through which these bad actors carry out their schemes. Reportedly, they create fake airdrops that lead victims through fraudulent links, hoping to steal their crypto wallet credentials.
While crypto scammers have been employing this method in the viral tapping game, fake airdrops are not exactly an unusual concept. Usually, attackers leverage the attractiveness of free crypto to deceive unsuspecting victims into releasing their crypto wallet information.
The last method of operation by these malicious actors is setting up fake websites. According to Kaspersky, scammers are also creating fake websites where they promise free coins to users. However, their hidden agenda is to make away with the users’ crypto via “fraudulent commission payments”.
A Growing Trend of Crypto Hacks
Without any doubt, Hamster Kombat is easily among the most popular mobile games worldwide. According to Telegram founder Pavel Durov, the game is so massive that it gained 239 million users in 81 days.
Similarly, the Hamster Kombat (HMSTR) token has also been gaining more traction. That is especially true since the token got listed on Bybit for pre-market trading on July 8.
Despite this success story, however, the recent report about attackers cast a shadow of doubt over the project. Nonetheless, crypto hacks and phishing attacks are not exactly new to the industry. As a fact, they have been there, right beside the crypto industry, taking every stride along with it.
To put the above statement into perspective, almost $19 billion worth of digital assets have been stolen across 785 reported hacks and exploits that have taken place over the last 13 years. That is, since June 19, 2011, when the first known crypto hack was reported.
