More Than 2,000 Crypto Wallets In Australia Burglarized Due To Mass Phishing

9 JAKARTA - The Australian Federal Police (AFP) revealed shocking facts that more than 2,000 Australian-owned crypto wallets have fallen into the hands of cybercriminals in a phishing scheme involving millions of digital assets. This attack is part of a global operation aimed at fighting crypto fraud.

Spincaster operations, which involved six countries including the United States, Britain, and Australia, managed to collect more than 7,000 investigative clues. Losses due to this scheme reached 162 million US Dollars or around Rp. 2.6 trillion.

How did cybercriminals manage to break into crypto wallets? They use fake approval tactics, take advantage of the victim's awareness to grant permission to transfer tokens that are actually invalid. Thousands of users are stuck, and their digital assets evaporate in an instant.

Detective Inspector of the Stainton Team of the Australian Federal Police confirmed the importance of Spincaster Operations. The intelligence gathered during this operation revealed a new tactic used by cybercriminals to deceive Australians. Quoted from Beincrypto, Stainton stated, "The insights we derive will be an important part of a continuing investigation to identify victims of cybercrime and disrupt perpetrators in Australia."

Cybersecurity experts highlight a serious threat from phishing schemes in the crypto world. Cybercriminals disguise themselves as legitimate entities to steal sensitive information and access victims' crypto wallets. Scam reports show that more than 260,000 individuals lost 314 million US Dollars (approximately IDR 5 trillion) as a result of phishing schemes in just the first half of this year.

In addition, Australia is also facing a surge in crypto-related crimes. For example, crypto.com users who accidentally received a transfer of funds of US$10.47 million (around Rp169 billion) are finally faced with a prison sentence. The crypto exchange mistakenly sends a much larger amount than it should. Prosecutors argue that serious legal consequences are needed given the amount involved.