DuckDuckGo, a privacy-focused search engine, has been showing phishing websites when users search for “Etherscan,” a well-known Ethereum block explorer and analytics platform. This mistake has the potential to cause serious financial harm to cryptocurrency investors.
On September 11, Scam Sniffer, a Web3 anti-scam company, warned DuckDuckGo users about an ongoing phishing scheme aimed at Ether (ETH) investors. The search results on DuckDuckGo display a phishing website imitating Etherscan, as reported by Scam Sniffer.
When users click on these phishing websites, they are asked to connect their MetaMask wallets, which resembles the process on the official Etherscan website. By giving approval to these connection requests without realizing it, users are essentially allowing hackers to withdraw funds from their wallets without needing further authorization.
Hackers also attempt to have fraudulent phishing websites ranked on other popular search engines like Google and Bing. Some may manipulate search algorithms to achieve organic ranking, while others use sponsored banner ads to lure in victims.
Scam Sniffer highlighted a recent incident on September 10 where a user lost over $520,000 worth of cryptocurrencies by unknowingly signing a phishing signature. According to the investigation firm, over 9,100 victims suffered losses of about $63 million to crypto phishing scams in August.
The losses from phishing attacks have increased by 215% in the span of a year. One victim lost $55 million in Dai (DAI) due to a phishing attack. Although the total number of victims decreased compared to 2023, the amount stolen increased significantly.
In July, blockchain security company SlowMist warned about a large-scale phishing attack on The Open Network (TON), a blockchain platform linked to Telegram. According to SlowMist founder Yu Xian, the risk of phishing on the Telegram messenger is higher for users with anonymous numbers, which are used to create accounts not tied to SIM cards.
To prevent phishing attacks, Cointelegraph provides a guide on how to stay safe from these scams. Additionally, US lawmakers have urged top crypto ATM operators to address fraud and protect users. There have also been proposals to save Ethereum from a potential “roadmap to hell” in its Layer 2 development.