Hold onto your hats, crypto enthusiasts! December brought a breath of fresh air with a significant dip in crypto losses, but watch out—those pesky phishing scams are still on the rise!
According to the latest scoop from blockchain watchdog CertiK, the crypto world saw losses drop to about $28.6 million in December. That's the lowest monthly hit in 2024, and it's like a breath of fresh air compared to the earlier months when losses soared into the tens of millions.
Most of the financial drama came from exploits, which racked up $26.7 million. Flash loan ruckus and exit scams chipped in with $1.7 million and $200,000, respectively. Among the flash loan hullabaloos, CloberDex took a $501,279 punch, while Clipper DEX and MoonMaker weren't far behind, losing $450,811 and $319,320, respectively.
The grand title for December's biggest exploit goes to Gempad, which took a whopping $2.14 million hit. Close contenders were FBD, dropping $1.07 million, and Vesta DAO, with a $401,428 loss. CertiK's report shows that December's losses are a mere shadow of the peak months earlier in the year.
But, don't get too comfy! The report also waves a red flag about phishing scams. One unlucky user (yes, we're looking at you, address 0x751e) lost a jaw-dropping $7.87 million to phishing, one of the year's heftiest losses. Other scams ranged from $1.4 million to $2.8 million per incident.
Just last month, a crypto user fell into a $300,000 trap from a malicious KakaoTalk link, leading to compromised wallets and their funds zipping over to a BingX-linked wallet. Not to be outdone, Animoca Brands’ co-founder Yat Siu had his account hijacked despite having double security measures in place. The crooks pushed a bogus token called “MOCA,” targeting over 15 crypto accounts and snagging nearly $500,000.
And if that wasn't enough, the security sleuths at SlowMist uncovered a phishing trick using fake Zoom links. This digital charade lured victims to download malware masquerading as a Zoom installation, pilfering sensitive crypto details and resulting in over $1 million in losses.
Adding a twist to the tale, the stolen loot is suspected to have been washed through exchanges like Binance and Gate.io by hackers with potential ties to Russian-speaking operatives.
So, while the crypto seas seem calmer with fewer losses, keep your guard up against those crafty phishing pirates!
