Technologies

Cryptocurrency scams are all over social media. Don’t get duped

That tweet, live event or ad you see on social media could be fake.

On Sept. 15, Tim Dodd clicked on what he thought was a livestream on YouTube of SpaceX’s historic Inspiration4 launch from the Kennedy Space Center. What he saw next took him by surprise.

Dodd, a well-known space fan who created the YouTube channel Everyday Astronaut, landed a rare tour of SpaceX’s rocket facilities in Texas with CEO Elon Musk this summer. And it was just that footage Dodd saw. Someone had copied Dodd’s video to create fake livestreams of the launch, which was also part of a fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Hospital. Scammers, Dodd says, were trying to trick people into donating Bitcoin on another site.

He said he’s reported at least two dozen cryptocurrency scam videos to YouTube, but they continue to pop up. «It just makes me feel so hopeless,» Dodd said.

Creating a fake live event video is just one way crooks are attempting to dupe crypto enthusiasts into giving away their assets. From fake giveaways to bogus investment sites, scammers use YouTube, Twitter and other social media sites to hook potential victims. Last week, Twitter flagged accounts that appeared to be tied to a Squid Game crypto coin and that bilked buyers out of more than $2 million by exploiting enthusiasm for the hit Netflix show. Scammers are even turning to dating apps to push these schemes.

Unlike a stolen credit number — an inconvenient but rarely troublesome issue — stolen crypto is basically gone. Many cryptocurrencies are decentralized, managed only by code running on a blockchain ledger.

Here are some ways to avoid getting duped on social networks:

Pay attention to the details

Recognizing a fake tweet, ad or video on social media can be tricky because scammers often steal images to give their ploys credibility. Sometimes they go as far as hacking verified accounts, creating the illusion of legitimacy by insinuating a well-known figure is involved. In 2020, hackers breached a handful of high-profile Twitter accounts to promote a cryptocurrency scam that promised to double the amount of Bitcoin sent to a specified address. Some of the accounts belonged to Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, celebrity Kim Kardashian and Joe Biden, who was running for US president at the time.

Look closely at the name of a website, the description of a YouTube video and the handle of a Twitter account. Little details, like a small misspelling, could be a red flag.

In March, the BBC reported a man in Germany was duped by a Bitcoin giveaway scam tweeted by a fake Musk account. The tweet asked people to send anything from 0.1 Bitcoin to 20 Bitcoin and Musk’s team would send back double the amount. The scammer created the illusion the account belonged to Musk by using it to reply to a real tweet from the Tesla boss. The scammer copied Musk’s profile picture and used a verified Twitter account. But if you look closely, the Twitter handle of the fake Musk account is @JoshyMcB not @elonmusk.

A Twitter spokesperson said using scam tactics on Twitter to obtain money or private financial information violates its rules. «We’re constantly adapting to bad actors’ evolving methods and have made improvements in combating cryptocurrency scams on the platform,» the spokesperson said. The company updated its verification policy, but Twitter has also mistakenly verified fake accounts before.

Satnam Narang, a staff research engineer at the security firm Tenable, estimates scammers stole more than $10 million using fake Twitter and YouTube accounts to promote bogus cryptocurrency giveaways before Musk’s appearance on Saturday Night Live in May. The scammers impersonated the Twitter accounts of SNL and celebrities, such as Miley Cyrus. Scammers have also used YouTube ads to promote a fake SpaceX coin.

«Even though cryptocurrency has been around for over a decade now, it’s just started to take hold,» Narang said. «A lot of people have a fear of missing out.»

Facebook is also filled with fake accounts. On Nov. 1, a verified page with more than 153,000 followers impersonating Musk falsely claimed the tech executive was doubling payments sent to a Bitcoin address for the next 30 minutes. The page transparency section, though, indicates the user changed their name multiple times and is located in Egypt.

The Facebook page is no longer available. Facebook didn’t respond to questions about the page.

During Google’s Pixel 6 event on Oct. 19, cryptocurrency scammers created a fake live video using footage from an earlier Google event. The slick scam uses the Google logo to convincingly sell itself as the Google Live YouTube channel. At one point, the imitation video had more than 41,000 views but it was taken down shortly after the event began. The video’s description, though, held telltale clues that it was bogus, moving between the first and third persons. A Google search showed parts of the text were plagiarized from a news article.

During the fake livestream, scammers directed people to another website that falsely said Google was giving away 1,000 Bitcoin and 20,000 Ether to celebrate the launch of its new smartphones. The scammers said people who sent Bitcoin or Ether would get more cryptocurrency back. The website, though, isn’t from a .google address, a sign that Google wasn’t behind a giveaway.

«Content intended to scam the YouTube community — such as cryptocurrency scams — or impersonate another YouTube channel is not allowed on YouTube,» said YouTube spokeswoman Ivy Choi in a statement. The company said from April to June it removed more than 3.7 million channels and 884,000 videos for spam, deceptive practices and scams.

Do your research

Scammers could try to lure you into investing through a bogus site, bringing up the topic while you’re chatting on a dating app or on social media. They’ll tell you about a new cryptocurrency opportunity they’ve jumped on, but it’s all a ruse to get you to invest through a fake website.

«These websites may even make it look like your investment is growing,» the FTC warned. «But people report that, when they try to withdraw supposed profits, they are told to send even more crypto — and end up getting nothing back,» the Federal Trade Commission warned.

From October 2020 to March 2021, nearly 7,000 people reported losses of more than $80 million to cryptocurrency investment scams, according to the FTC. The agency also said that over the past six months people have reported sending more than $2 million in cryptocurrency to Musk impersonators.

The agency says you should be wary if scammers guarantee you’ll make money or make big claims without details. You can also search for the name of the company or cryptocurrency with words such as «review,» «scam» or «complaint,» the agency noted.

If you do suspect someone is pushing a cryptocurrency scam, you can report it to the FTC, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the US Securities and Exchange Commission or the cryptocurrency exchange company you use.

Protect your cryptocurrency

Guardrails used to protect conventional online finance can also be applied to cryptocurrency to minimize potential losses if you do fall for a scam.

These include using a strong password, turning on two-factor authentication or using a separate email for your Bitcoin account. You can also use a type of hardware wallet, also known as a cold wallet, to store your private keys in a physical device like a USB stick.

You can store your cryptocurrency in a handful of separate wallets so you can keep funds you’ve set aside for investment apart from funds you expect to spend.

«It’s all the same things that we talk about when it comes to cyber hygiene that we apply to traditional finance,» Narang said. «It’s just this is like the Wild Wild West.»

Technologies

iOS 17 Cheat Sheet: Your Questions on the iPhone Update Answered

Here’s what you need to know about new features and upcoming updates for your iPhone.

Apple’s iOS 17 was released in September, shortly after the company held its Wonderlust event, where the tech giant announced the new iPhone 15 lineup, the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2. We put together this cheat sheet to help you learn about and use the new features in iOS 17. It’ll also help you keep track of the subsequent iOS 17 updates.

iOS 17 updates

Using iOS 17

Getting started with iOS 17

Make sure to check back periodically for more iOS 17 tips and how to use new features as Apple releases more updates.

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About

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See all photos

Technologies

Get Ready for a Striking Aurora That Could Also Disrupt Radio Communications

Don’t expect the storm to cause a lingering problem, though.

A geomagnetic storm is threatening radio communications Monday night, but that doesn’t mean you should be concerned. In fact, it may be an opportunity to see a colorful aurora in the night sky.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has issued a geomagnetic storm watch after witnessing a coronal mass ejection from the sun on Saturday. The watch, which was issued over the weekend and will expire after Monday, said the onset of the storm passing over Earth on Sunday night represented a «moderate» threat to communications. As the storm continues to pass through, it could deliver a «strong» threat on Monday night that could cause radio communications to be temporarily disrupted during the worst of it.

Even so, NOAA said, «the general public should not be concerned.»

A coronal mass ejection occurs when magnetic field and plasma mass are violently expelled from the sun’s corona, or the outermost portion of the sun’s atmosphere. In the vast majority of cases, the ejection occurs with no real threat to Earth. However, in the event the ejection happens in the planet’s direction, a geomagnetic storm occurs, and the Earth’s magnetic field is temporarily affected.

In most cases, geomagnetic storms cause little to no disruption on Earth, with radio communications and satellites affected most often. In extreme cases, a geomagnetic storm can cause significant and potentially life-threatening power outages — a prospect that, luckily, the planet hasn’t faced.

Switching poles

Every 11 years, the sun’s magnetic poles switch, with the north pole and south pole swapping positions. During those cycles, the sun’s activity ramps up as it gets closer to pole-switching time. The height of its activity is called solar maximum, and scientists believe we either may be entering the solar maximum or may be already in it.

During periods of heightened solar activity, sunspots increase on the sun and there’s an increase in coronal mass ejections, among other phenomena. According to NOAA, solar maximum could extend into October of this year before the sun’s activity calms and it works towards its less-active phase, solar minimum.

Even when geomagnetic storms hit Earth and disrupt communications, the effects are usually short-lived. Those most affected, including power grid operators and pilots and air traffic controllers communicating over long distances, have fail-safe technologies and backup communications to ensure operational continuity.

But geomagnetic storms aren’t only about radios. In most cases, they also present unique opportunities to see auroras in the night sky. When the storms hit, the plasma they carry creates a jaw-dropping aurora, illuminating the night sky with brilliant colors. Those auroras can be especially pronounced during the most intense phases of the storm, making for nice stargazing.

If you’re interested in seeing the aurora, you’ll need to be ready. The NOAA said the «brunt of the storm has passed» and even if it lingers into Tuesday, there won’t be much to see after Monday night.

Technologies

Last Total Solar Eclipse for 20 Years Is Coming: How to See and Photograph It

It’s your last chance until 2044.

Get your eclipse glasses ready, Skygazers: the Great American Eclipse is on its way. On April 8, there’ll be a total eclipse over North America, the last one until 2044.

A total solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, blocking the sun and turning an otherwise sunny day to darkness for a short period of time. Depending on the angle at which you’re viewing the eclipse, you may see the sun completely shrouded by the moon (called totality) or some variation of it. The more off-angle you are and the further you are from the path of the eclipse, the less likely you’ll be to see the totality.

The 2024 total solar eclipse will happen on Monday, April 8. The Great American Eclipse will reach the Mexican Pacific coast at 11:07 a.m. PT (2:07 p.m. ET), and then traverse the US in a northeasterly direction from Texas to Maine, and on into easternmost Canada. If you want a good look at it, but don’t live in the path of totality, you shouldn’t wait much longer to book accommodation and travel to a spot on the path.

Or how about booking a seat in the sky? Delta Airlines made headlines for offering a flight that allows you to see the entire path of totality. Its first eclipse flight, from Austin, Texas, to Detroit sold out quickly. But as of Monday, Delta has added a second flight from Dallas to Detroit, which also covers the path of totality. The airline also has five flights that will offer prime eclipse viewing.

Not everyone can get on one of those elusive eclipse-viewing flights. Here’s a look at other options to nab a chance to see this rare sight and what to know about it.

Total solar eclipse path

The eclipse will cross over the Pacific coast of Mexico and head northeast over mainland Mexico. The eclipse will then make its way over San Antonio at approximately 2:30 p.m. ET on April 8 and move through Texas, over the southeastern part of Oklahoma and northern Arkansas by 2:50 p.m. ET.

By 3 p.m. ET, the eclipse will be over southern Illinois, and just 5 minutes later, will be traveling over Indianapolis. Folks in northwestern Ohio will be treated to the eclipse by 3:15 p.m. ET, and it will then travel over Lake Erie and Buffalo, New York, by 3:20 p.m. ET. Over the next 10 minutes, the eclipse will be seen over northern New York state, then over Vermont. By 3:35 p.m. ET, the eclipse will work its way into Canada and off the Eastern coast of North America.

Best places to watch the Great American Eclipse

When evaluating the best places to watch this year’s total eclipse, you’ll first want to determine where you’ll have the best angle to see the totality. The farther off-angle you are — in other words, the farther north or south of the eclipse’s path — the less of an impact you can expect.

Therefore, if you want to have the best chance of experiencing the eclipse, you’ll want to be in its path. As of this writing, most of the cities in the eclipse’s path have some hotel availability, but recent reports have suggested that rooms are booking up. And as more rooms are booked, prices are going up.

So if you want to be in the eclipse’s path, and need a hotel to do it, move fast. And Delta’s eclipse-viewing flight from Dallas to Detroit has just four seats left at the time of publication.

Eclipse eye safety and photography

As with any solar eclipse, it’s critical you keep eye safety in mind.

During the eclipse, and especially during the periods before and after totality, don’t look directly at the sun without special eye protection. Also, be sure not to look at the sun through a camera (including the camera on your phone), binoculars, a telescope or any other viewing device. This could cause serious eye injury. Sunglasses aren’t enough to protect your eyes from damage.

If you want to view the eclipse, you’ll instead need solar viewing glasses that comply with the ISO 12312-2 safety standard. Anything that doesn’t meet that standard or greater won’t be dark enough to protect your eyes. Want to get them for free? If you’ve got a Warby Parker eyeglasses store nearby, the company is giving away free, ISO-certified solar eclipse glasses at all of its stores from April 1 until the eclipse, while supplies last.

If you don’t have eclipse viewing glasses handy, you can instead use indirect methods for viewing the eclipse, like a pinhole projector.

Read more: A Photographer’s Adventure With the Eclipse

In the event you want to take pictures of the eclipse, attach a certified solar filter to your camera. Doing so will protect your eyes and allow you to take photos while you view the eclipse through your lens.

There’s also a new app to help you both protect your eyes and take better photos of the eclipse on your phone. Solar Snap, designed by a former Hubble Space Telescope astronomer, comes with a Solar Snap camera filter that attaches to the back of an iPhone or Android phone, along with solar eclipse glasses for protecting your eyesight during the event. After you attach the filter to your phone, you can use the free Solar Snap Eclipse app to zoom in on the eclipse, adjust exposure and other camera settings, and ultimately take better shots of the eclipse.

2024 eclipse compared to 2017

The last total solar eclipse occurred in 2017, and many Americans had a great view. Although there are plenty of similarities between the 2017 total solar eclipse and the one coming April 8, there are a handful of differences. Mainly, the 2024 eclipse is going to cover more land and last longer.

The 2017 eclipse started over the northwest US and moved southeast. Additionally, that eclipse’s path was up to 71 miles wide, compared with a maximum width of 122 miles for this year’s eclipse. Perhaps most importantly, the moon completely covered the sun for just 2 minutes, 40 seconds in 2017. This year, maximum totality will last for nearly four-and-a-half minutes.