Crypto Scammers Are Targeting Trump’s MAGA Supporters

Last month, erstwhile president and convicted felon Donald Trump announced that his run would judge donations successful cryptocurrency. In the weeks that followed, the cybercrime detection steadfast Netcraft found dozens of scam websites seeking to people Trump supporters and swindle them retired of their crypto, according to a study shared exclusively with WIRED.

Netcraft recovered that successful the days starring up to the announcement, scammers registered domains with communal misspellings, hoping to seizure supporters intending to entree donaldjtrump.com. One domain registered to donalbjtrump.com was a adjacent cleanable replica of the existent Trump run website. And portion the Trump run accepts donations via Coinbase, a cryptocurrency exchange, immoderate of the scam websites alternatively look to beryllium utilizing portals meant to look similar Coingate, a blockchain and crypto outgo processor.

“As a victim, the information that the existent run is utilizing Coinbase payments alternatively than nonstop cryptocurrencies” wouldn’t beryllium precise obvious, says Rob Duncan, caput of probe astatine Netcraft. “The mode it's been advertised is ‘Donald Trump's taking cryptocurrency donations,’ erstwhile really that's rather it's a spot much subtle.”

A 2nd surge of fake websites appeared instantly aft Trump’s May 30 felony conviction connected 34 counts of falsifying concern records to wage disconnected the porn prima Stormy Daniels. In the hours aft his conviction, the run raised much than $34 million successful donations. Cybercriminals seemed to expect this interest, and were acceptable to capitalize connected the donations pouring into the Trump run successful the aftermath of the verdict.

“Criminals similar to usage events similar this, to basal their scams connected topical events, things that radical are funny in, wherever radical are much apt to click connected links,” says Duncan. In the aftermath of the October 7 attacks and consequent struggle successful Palestine, Duncan says Netcraft identified respective donation scams, targeting radical connected some sides of the conflict.

“They're funny successful getting cryptocurrency from anybody. And they're not bothered astir which governmental persuasion they mightiness have,” says Duncan.

Duncan adds that done checking the blockchain, nary of the scams look to beryllium palmy yet, but helium suspects that whitethorn beryllium due to the fact that they are comparatively caller and whitethorn not yet beryllium active.

The Trump run did not respond to a petition for comment.

Cryptocurrencies tin beryllium particularly useful for criminals due to the fact that they are mostly unregulated and don’t person the aforesaid constraints that accepted fiscal institutions do. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s 2023 Internet Crime Report, crypto concern scams outgo radical immoderate $3.94 billion. “Crypto is evidently a precise bully mechanics for criminals to use,” says Duncan. “There's nary mode to reverse payments; erstwhile the money's successful the criminal's wallet, it's gone.”

Trump’s caller enactment of crypto is an about-face from his presidency. In 2019, Trump said helium was “not a fan” of cryptocurrencies successful a bid of posts connected X, past Twitter. “We person lone 1 existent currency successful the USA … It is called the United States Dollar!” helium posted astatine the time.