- An email from Cryptopia administrators Grant Thornton has caused confusion among former users
- The email invites former users to register for the claims portal, but Grant Thornton did not say that such an email was coming
- Some users have made a claim through the portal while others are waiting for confirmation
An email purporting to be from Cryptopia liquidators Grant Thornton inviting former users to start the refund process has caused confusion among the cryptocurrency community. The email, which began doing the rounds yesterday, asks those wishing to make claims to begin the claims portal registration process, but with no formal confirmation from Grant Thornton many are holding off from doing so in case it is a scam.
Cryptopia Claims Portal Expected This Year
Cryptopia became the first cryptocurrency exchange of 2019 to get hacked when some $16 million worth of cryptocurrency was stolen in January last year, leading to the platform suspending operations and then closing formally four months later. New Zealand-based administrators Grant Thornton took over the winding down of the business, working towards an eventual repayment plan for creditors and users.
A key part of this repayment plan was a Cryptopia user claims portal, which Grant Thornton said in September would be online by the end of 2020. This seems to have arrived, with the following email sent to users:
In some senses the fact that the email has come this year makes it seem more legitimate given that it was expected around this time, but equally the imposing of a deadline gives scammers a three-month window during which to act. Some potential claimants have reported going through the claims process while others, quite wisely, have stated that they will wait for confirmation from Grant Thornton before taking action:
Hi @GrantThorntonNZ, can you confirm this email I so received from @Cryptopia_NZ is legitimate? Why is email and current residential address required for portal registration. I look forward to your new update soon. pic.twitter.com/PCKwG3y9At
— Will Chivers (@w_chivers) December 7, 2020
I have a question for the crypto community & for anyone that used #Cryptopia exchange back in the day.
I received a email from Cryptopia Claims Portal & just like to know if this is real or a phishing attempt?
I have a screenshot of the email below.
Thanks! pic.twitter.com/BUOmUOKh6r
— Vella (Real account from April 2016) (@cryptotrader85) December 7, 2020
If the email does turn out to be genuine then it represents an error on Grant Thornton’s behalf, given the reason for their involvement in the cryptocurrency ecosystem. We would urge those in receipt of the email to await formal confirmation from the Cryptopia Twitter account before opening the link included in the email.
