Ever wondered what happens during a 'wrong number' scam? This tech expert played along and revealed shocking insights!
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Most of us are likely familiar with the classic scam technique employed by fraudsters to swindle money through deceptive 'wrong number' text messages. Disguising themselves as a trusted family member or friend or reputable companies, they prey on unsuspecting individuals.
This scam doesn't discriminate based on vulnerability alone; it affects individuals across all walks of life – everyone can fall prey to the allure of quick financial gain.
Recently, a variation of the 'wrong number' scam has emerged abroad, known as the 'pig butchering' scam.
This particular scheme involves luring victims with a false promise, much like the process of feeding and fattening a pig, only to mercilessly exploit them by syphoning off their hard-earned money.
It's disheartening to realise that these scams persist and adapt, relentlessly exploiting unsuspecting individuals. As technology advances, scammers devise new tactics and techniques to deceive people and amass profits.
To shed light on the inner workings of these deceptive schemes, Sean Gallagher, a renowned cybersecurity expert, took a daring step. He decided to become the bait and expose himself to a scam firsthand.
Gallagher's encounter began with a text message from a mysterious individual named Harley, who initially reached out to him under the pretence of a wrong number.
Rather than becoming upset or ignoring the message, Gallagher chose a different approach. He decided to respond and engage in conversation, effectively playing along and fostering a pseudo-friendship with his scammer.
Over the course of three months, Gallagher and Harley's conversation progressed, with Harley sharing more personal details, including information about her past relationship and the struggles her business faced due to the pandemic. To further solidify the illusion of credibility, Harley even sent him photos and videos.
As their 'friendship' continued, Harley began to come up with stories of success, especially of her lucrative investments in cryptocurrency. These tales of wealth gradually escalated, with Harley boasting about her growing fortune and offering Gallagher the opportunity to invest with her.
It was at this point that Gallagher knew he was the target of a 'pig butchering' scam. He had been lured in with the promise of friendship, only to be slowly and meticulously groomed for financial exploitation.
Before Gallagher could reveal Harley's true identity as a fraudster, he managed to track her down to a real 'Bitcoin' cryptocurrency account, exposing the extent of her criminal activity. It was discovered that Harley had stolen almost $4.4 million from her victims.
The 'wrong number' text scam is often used on dating apps, where scammers pose as potential romantic partners, using fake profiles to lure in unsuspecting victims.
According to Gallagher, many other scams use an 'urgent call to action' to manipulate their victims into acting quickly without thinking things through. For example, a scammer might send a text impersonating a company, claiming that the victim has an outstanding fine that must be paid immediately, or they risk incurring severe penalties.
However, with pig butchering scams, the approach is much more patient and subtle.
'They are in it for a very long time, as we demonstrated in this case,' he explained. 'They use the whole process of building a relationship and building trust to erode away any sort of inkling you might have — that something is amiss by just the length of engagements.'
To understand how the scammers behind the pig butchering scam operate, Gallagher used the conversations he had with 'Harley' to track down the scammers' location and uncover their mode of operation.
He discovered that 'Harley' was actually a team of scammers working out of Cambodia, using a woman as a front for their conversations. The team was also connected to another operation in China, which Gallagher said was using cryptocurrency to launder money.
Through their investigation, Gallagher and his team were able to trace the crypto wallets used by the scammers to transfer funds. They found that the operation had scammed millions of dollars, with over $4.4 million worth of cryptocurrency pushed through those wallets from October to the end of their research.
Sadly, this type of scam isn't an uncommon situation.
That is why we always have to be wary of any texts from unknown numbers that appear earnest and appear to tell you urgent things that you need to act on. Also, be wary of someone claiming to create a sense of trust with you.
Have you ever engaged in conversations with potential scammers online? What were some warning signs or red flags that made you suspicious? Share your stories with us in the comments!
This scam doesn't discriminate based on vulnerability alone; it affects individuals across all walks of life – everyone can fall prey to the allure of quick financial gain.
Recently, a variation of the 'wrong number' scam has emerged abroad, known as the 'pig butchering' scam.
This particular scheme involves luring victims with a false promise, much like the process of feeding and fattening a pig, only to mercilessly exploit them by syphoning off their hard-earned money.
A cybersecurity researcher engaged with a scammer for three months to uncover how elaborate the scheme would be. Credit: Unsplash/Adem AY.
It's disheartening to realise that these scams persist and adapt, relentlessly exploiting unsuspecting individuals. As technology advances, scammers devise new tactics and techniques to deceive people and amass profits.
To shed light on the inner workings of these deceptive schemes, Sean Gallagher, a renowned cybersecurity expert, took a daring step. He decided to become the bait and expose himself to a scam firsthand.
Gallagher's encounter began with a text message from a mysterious individual named Harley, who initially reached out to him under the pretence of a wrong number.
Rather than becoming upset or ignoring the message, Gallagher chose a different approach. He decided to respond and engage in conversation, effectively playing along and fostering a pseudo-friendship with his scammer.
Over the course of three months, Gallagher and Harley's conversation progressed, with Harley sharing more personal details, including information about her past relationship and the struggles her business faced due to the pandemic. To further solidify the illusion of credibility, Harley even sent him photos and videos.
As their 'friendship' continued, Harley began to come up with stories of success, especially of her lucrative investments in cryptocurrency. These tales of wealth gradually escalated, with Harley boasting about her growing fortune and offering Gallagher the opportunity to invest with her.
It was at this point that Gallagher knew he was the target of a 'pig butchering' scam. He had been lured in with the promise of friendship, only to be slowly and meticulously groomed for financial exploitation.
Before Gallagher could reveal Harley's true identity as a fraudster, he managed to track her down to a real 'Bitcoin' cryptocurrency account, exposing the extent of her criminal activity. It was discovered that Harley had stolen almost $4.4 million from her victims.
The 'wrong number' text scam is often used on dating apps, where scammers pose as potential romantic partners, using fake profiles to lure in unsuspecting victims.
According to Gallagher, many other scams use an 'urgent call to action' to manipulate their victims into acting quickly without thinking things through. For example, a scammer might send a text impersonating a company, claiming that the victim has an outstanding fine that must be paid immediately, or they risk incurring severe penalties.
However, with pig butchering scams, the approach is much more patient and subtle.
'They are in it for a very long time, as we demonstrated in this case,' he explained. 'They use the whole process of building a relationship and building trust to erode away any sort of inkling you might have — that something is amiss by just the length of engagements.'
To understand how the scammers behind the pig butchering scam operate, Gallagher used the conversations he had with 'Harley' to track down the scammers' location and uncover their mode of operation.
He discovered that 'Harley' was actually a team of scammers working out of Cambodia, using a woman as a front for their conversations. The team was also connected to another operation in China, which Gallagher said was using cryptocurrency to launder money.
Through their investigation, Gallagher and his team were able to trace the crypto wallets used by the scammers to transfer funds. They found that the operation had scammed millions of dollars, with over $4.4 million worth of cryptocurrency pushed through those wallets from October to the end of their research.
Sadly, this type of scam isn't an uncommon situation.
That is why we always have to be wary of any texts from unknown numbers that appear earnest and appear to tell you urgent things that you need to act on. Also, be wary of someone claiming to create a sense of trust with you.
Have you ever engaged in conversations with potential scammers online? What were some warning signs or red flags that made you suspicious? Share your stories with us in the comments!
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