He said the conversation went to Discord, where he was asked basic questions.
India has witnessed a sharp increase in the number of cybercrime cases over the years. Job fraud contributes to the highest number of reported cybercrimes in the country. Cybercriminals are finding innovative ways to cheat people out of their hard-earned money. Security agencies continue to come up with new solutions to combat these scams, but it is necessary to be aware of the methods they use to attack innocent people. Recently, a user shared that while looking for a new job, he fell victim to fraud and lost $3,000 (approximately Rs 2.5 lakh) as a result.
Product designer Naved Alam shared his ordeal on X (formerly Twitter). He said he wanted to share his story so that people are aware of such cyber frauds and do not fall prey to these criminals. “I recently fell victim to a scam on Twitter and lost $3000. It started with a promising opportunity – @crankybugatti on Twitter contacted me about a design role in a company related to a web3 communications app called @SocialSpectra,” the social media user said alongside screenshots of his conversation with a user about a possible job.
It started with a promising opportunity: @crankybugatti on Twitter contacted me about a design role in a company related to a web3 communications app called @SocialSpectra. pic.twitter.com/7cIwfMUWeK
— Naved Alam (@Navedux) March 31, 2024
Mr Alam said X’s conversation went to Discord where he was asked basic questions. “The conversation moved to Discord where things seemed legit. Basic design questions were asked and they even seemed impressed with my work. Then came the request for an HR conversation and I was given a link to join .I didn’t know. It was a trap, he said.
He continued, “I downloaded what I thought was an internal communications app before the call. Instead it was malware that emptied my @phantom wallet and liquidated my holdings on @KaminoFinance.”
The product designer said he lost the money to the cybercriminals “within moments”. He wrote on you are absolutely certain of the source.”
Mr Alam also advised people to be careful as these cyber criminals “target designers and developers or any working professional.”
Since it was shared, his post has racked up more than one lakh views.
“Faced with a similar scam, I lost all my assets. It’s hard to move on and believe in crypto again,” said one user.
“Lol this person is in my DMs right now,” said another user.
Another wrote: “I’m sorry for you brother. I came across the same guy, the application crashed on my PC so I couldn’t join the HR interview. He said it was my fault for not joining the conversation, so I created another ticket, noticed something suspicious there and immediately deleted it from my PC.”
“Unfortunately I had a similar experience with them,” one person commented.
One user added: “No matter how secure you make your technology, a human will always be the weakest link in the chain”
“This guy contacted me too. I procrastinated when he redirected me to discord and then forgot about it. Procrastination saved my assets. Sorry for your loss dude. Stay safe out there,” said another X user