Lately, a new cryptocurrency scam has been making the rounds. Unlike the usual phishing links, this time scammers are tricking victims into transferring their own assets. They post tutorials on YouTube, claiming you can build a foolproof crypto trading bot using Claude.
These tutorials look slick and professional, guiding viewers to copy code and deploy smart contracts on a fake compiler site set up by the scammers. The code gets secretly swapped with one that steals crypto. Following the video’s instructions, victims transfer their cryptocurrency into a contract wallet and personally authorize the transaction. There are no phishing links or stolen private keys, making it tough for traditional anti-fraud tools to catch.
Blockchain security firm TRM Labs reports that 224 victims have already fallen for this, losing a total of 274.6 Ethereum, roughly $517,000. It's important to note that Claude itself has nothing to do with the scam; it's just being used as bait.
