In 2025, impersonation scams have become an alarming trend sweeping across the crypto industry. From fake journalist accounts to deepfake videos and phishing schemes, scammers are increasingly leveraging social engineering tactics to deceive individuals and institutions alike. As the lines between legitimate media, authorities, and fraud blur, it’s more crucial than ever for crypto enthusiasts and professionals to stay vigilant and adopt stringent verification practices to safeguard their assets and reputations.
Impersonation has become one of the most prevalent social-engineering tactics in the crypto world this year. Bad actors use these methods to steal sensitive data, drain digital wallets, and sow confusion between trusted media outlets and outright fraud. For example, a Telegram profile mimicking “Tobias Vilkenson | Cointelegraph” reached out to BNB Chain representatives with false promises of coverage, only to solicit payments via a personal USDT wallet. Such instances are alarmingly frequent, with multiple reports from Cointelegraph staff confirming scammers impersonating journalists using stolen photos and identities.
Several crypto projects received phishing emails from email addresses like team-coinmarketcap.com and cloned X accounts claiming to be former CoinMarketCap reporters. These impostors requested remote device access during fake interviews, paving the way for device breaches. CoinMarketCap issued warnings following these scams.
Scammers impersonated the popular Empire podcast, inviting influencers to fake interviews through malicious links. When clicked, these installs infected macOS devices with malware, stealing browser cookies and crypto wallet credentials.
A convincing AI-generated video of Hong Kong’s Chief Executive, John Lee, promoted a fake investment scheme, highlighting how advanced AI tools facilitate sophisticated scams. Similar videos circulated the city’s officials just weeks earlier, supporting fake cryptocurrencies like “National Hong Kong Coin.”
In April, over 100 Australians received SMS messages falsely claiming their Binance accounts were compromised, urging them to transfer funds to attackers’ wallets. Additionally, impersonators posing as regulators, particularly the UK FCA, have submitted nearly 5,000 reports this year, often promising to recover funds before extracting sensitive information.
Across these incidents, the common thread is the impersonator’s manipulation of familiar identities—quickly shifting from public-facing personas to private channels, and then requesting actions that bypass standard procedures. This underlines the importance of rigorous verification at every step, including checking official author pages, email domains, and social profiles.
@cointelegraph.com. Use the site’s contact info for additional confirmation.In a landscape where crypto scams adapt rapidly to technological advances, maintaining vigilance and employing simple verification routines can significantly reduce risks. Whether it’s verifying journalist identities, scrutinizing suspicious links, or understanding common scam patterns, these steps help foster a safer, more transparent crypto environment. As scammers become more convincing, educating users and enforcing strict verification standards remains essential to protecting the integrity of cryptocurrency markets and community trust.
This article was originally published as How to Detect and Identify Media Impersonators Effectively on Crypto Breaking News – your trusted source for crypto news, Bitcoin news, and blockchain updates.
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