As Ethereum closes in on its mega ‘Merge’ update, crypto scams and fake Twitter accounts have flooded the internet with
a promise of winning free ETH tokens
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Some of the verified accounts impersonating Vitalik Buterin. (Photo: Canva/Twitter)
HIGHLIGHTS
- Fake Vitalik bot accounts have cropped up recently
- Ethereum Merge update is scheduled to take place soon
- There were fake Queen Elizabeth II crypto being sold recently
It seems whenever there is a major announcement around crypto or NFTs, scammers and hackers will flock to the internet trying to make some quick money at the expense of an internet user’s ignorance.
The hype around Ethereum’s Merge update has led to a rise in the number of hackers trying to impersonate Ethereum’s founder Vitalik Buterin via verified Twitter accounts to dupe people. To make things worse, scammers are using verified Twitter profiles with the ‘blue tick’, which, ironically, is a symbol of authenticity on the social media platform.
Even some of the most influential people on Twitter, like Elon Musk, have spoken about the problem of fake accounts and bots on Twitter, which was the biggest reason the Telsa boss backed out of the deal of buying Twitter.
And 90% of my comments are bots pic.twitter.com/A7RKyNJZoR
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 5, 2022
Fake ‘verified’ Vitalik accounts on Twitter
We have been able to spot multiple fake ‘verified’ Twitter accounts impersonating Vitalik Buterin with the same profile image but a different handle.
These accounts have been actively promoting scams around fake giveaways and contests where people can win ETH by investing money or giving access to their crypto wallets.
Some of the fake accounts that have been spotted on Twitter (Photo: Twitter/Canva)
It’s best if you stay away from any such ‘verified’ accounts that promise to offer prize money for investing in ETH or sharing wallet credentials.
Crypto is plagued with scammers
Just recently, after the demise of Queen Elizabeth II, the crypto market was flooded with fake crypto tokens and NFTs with the queen’s name associated with them. Initially, the price of these tokens was soaring only to drop after a few hours as most of them were scams.
There have been times when scammers have also impersonated the Ethereum Foundation to gain credibility among the crypto community. Significant crypto moments like upgrades, bull runs and ICOs (Initial Coin Offering) are the perfect time for these scammers to dupe investors amid the hype.
Therefore, anyone looking to invest in crypto or NFTs should do thorough research about the coin and also double-check with multiple sources about the authenticity of the project.
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