The United States of America has issued an important warning about potential cryptocurrency fraud.
Blockchain research firm Chainalysis said that the amount involved in cryptocurrency crimes hit an unprecedented level last year, reaching $14 billion.
US warnings come amid growing scams and wallet penetrations in the cryptocurrency market.
The US Federal Trade Commission has issued an alert about a new issuance of a cryptocurrency scam, according to (Investing.com).
The scam has three main components, an impersonator, a QR code and an encrypted ATM where victims will be directed to send money.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, scammers pretend to be public officials, law enforcement agents, or employees of local utility companies.
Scammers also use dating apps and pretend to be potential romantic partners or contact victims to announce that you've won a prize.
No matter how it starts, the scammer always ends up asking for money,' says the US Federal Trade Commission.
If the user falls into Spiel, the scammer will tell them to withdraw some cash and go to the encrypted ATM.
Next, they request to purchase cryptocurrency through ATMs, according to the US Federal Trade Commission.
The commission says at that moment the QR code is triggered, as they share the QR code of their wallet address with the victim.
For this reason, once the victim scans the code, the purchased crypto assets will be transferred to the fraudster's account.
This is the main thing to know, said Christina Miranda of the Federal Trade Commission's Division of Consumer and Business Education. No one from the government will tell you to pay them. With digital currency, if someone does, it's a scam every time.
