Phishing ads on popular Ethereum browser Etherscan: Scam Alert
Some people noted that a phishing ad was running on the top Ethereum browser platform and the phishing ad was able to drain funds from the crypto wallet.
Etherscan is a highly trusted digital guide for the Ethereum network. It’s verified by Brave, the web browser. It offers tools to explore the Ethereum network, like checking transaction details and token information. We can consider it as a map for understanding Ethereum’s digital world.
On 8 April 2024, A Crypto X (formerly Twitter) user noted that a suspicious ad was running on the Etherscan platform. That ad was for Multichain Yield Optimizer.
As per the investigation, the ad might try to sneakily link crypto wallet and steal assets by asking MetaMask wallet signature.
However, no official information came to light on this matter by the Etherscan team but it’s worth noting that a similar kind of incident was also seen in May 2022.
At the time, Etherscan & other coin-tracking website Coingecko fell under the trap of suspicious attack.
Reportedly Coingecko users were receiving suspicious pop-up messages to connect with the MetaMask crypto wallet.
Later investigation by the Etherscan team found that the attack was done by an unknown bad actor via a malicious HTML5 banner ad script.
Etherscan vs illicit accounts
Past efforts by the Etherscan team showed that they always remain against bad actors & illicit activities.
In 2020, The Etherscan team introduced a new protocol to blacklist all those Ethereum addresses linked with any kind of illicit funding, scam, money laundering, etc.
At the time, Binance, and HTX (formerly Huobi Global) were named as the top two crypto exchanges which were misused by the bad actors in money laundering.
In the present time, the forensic tools of these companies are solid enough to easily catch illicit funding.
It has been found that the Binance team & HTX exchange showed collaborative efforts to seize funds linked with illegal activities. In particular, Binance showed involvement in government-level investigations to catch bad actors.
Read also: South Korean Party Pledges Access to US Bitcoin ETFs in Bid to Win Voters
