May 2021 - whitemam8a MetaMask DuckDuckGo Phishing Scam - $79k (Global)
"Today I was the victim of a Metamask phishing scam when trying to import a Metamask wallet to a new browser."
"While searching for Metamask on Duckduckgo the first two results displayed for me were scam Metamask websites that link to a nearly identical looking website. I imported my wallet over, and to my horror when I check the account it is empty. After double checking the url, I realized what had happened."
"The truly crazy part is that this isn't just duckduckgo that this is an issue for. Google and every other major search engine I tried ALL list these advertised scam Metamask websites as their first results. This is completely insane to me and I simply wish to bring this to attention. I realize I am not the most tech savvy person of all time but, I imagine many are in a similar position as I. From here on out I will at the very least be double checking ALL urls."
"Ad[d]itionally, I am curious if anyone else encountered this scam. If so what is my best course of action to resolve this issue? I have opened a ticket with Metmask and will report back what they have to say. I would imagine this is quite a common occurrence and if my suspicions are correct these types of incidents are only going to drive more people away from Ethereum, Metamask, and crypto in general."
Further Analysis
Reddit user whitemam8a was tricked into installing a malicious MetaMask wallet. After entering his seed phrase (part of the standard process of setting up a new wallet), he realized that all of his accounts were empty.
How Could This Have Been Prevented?
Access popular services through bookmarks or directly typing the URL, rather than trusting any search results.
More Cryptocurrency Exchange Hacks/Scams/Frauds
Mushroom Finance Yield Manipulation Theft > > < < PancakeBunny Flash Arbitrage
Sources/Further Reading
I just lost all my ETH. BE CAREFUL OF METAMASK PHISHERS WHEN IMPORTING A WALLET! : Metamask (Dec 31)
MetaMask phishing steals cryptocurrency wallets via Google ads (Dec 31)
Ethereum Price History and Historical Data (Dec 31)
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