- Cryptocurrency scam featuring video of TRON founder Justin Sun exposed by Mochimo
- Video was supplemented by fake passport, fake website, and fake emails
- Attempt points to the probable future of the cryptocurrency scam
A cryptocurrency scam attempt using Justin Sun has highlighted the lengths that scammers are now going to and illustrates what the future of scamming will look like. The attempt, which targeted the Mochimo cryptocurrency, involved a fake email, fake domain name, fake passport, and even a live video impersonation of the TRON founder in what the company calls the “the most advanced scam in cryptocurrency”. The attempt offers a glimpse into the future of the cryptocurrency scam and just what companies and individuals are going to have to watch out for in the months and years to come.
“Private Partnership Program”
The scam started when Mochimo was approached by a woman who purported to be TRON’s Chief Marketing Officer. According to Mochimo her credentials appeared genuine, and so they agreed to progress with the conversation. They soon received an email apparently from Sun offering them a “private partnership program”, including a link to a website that looked like a TRON product but, crucially, was not on the TRON domain and had been anonymously registered just days prior.
Now convinced this was a scam, Mochimo decided to dig further, and things got weirder as fake Justin sent an obviously fraudulent passport copy:
Following this particular exchange, Mochimo decided that a video call with Mochimo founder Matt Zweil was “too interesting an opportunity to pass up”, and what happened was both hilarious and disturbing at the same time:
The clearly fake voice mixed with the slowed down video and completely mismatched lip syncing, which is paused when it is Zweil’s turn to talk, is almost laughable, but it offers a very clear insight into how the cryptocurrency scam continues to develop.
A Sign of Things to Come
With the inevitable improvement in deepfake technology, which is currently difficult for everyday people to use, such scams are going to be far easier to pull off. All we can do is hope that the companies in whom we have entrusted our money are able to detect such scams and don’t fall victim to what will become much more legitimate-looking attempts in the future.
