Coinecko: Beware Of Crypto Fraud Under The Guise Of Airdrop On Social Media

JAKARTA - In the midst of the increasingly vibrant topic of crypto, increasingly sophisticated fraudulent schemes are again a threat to investors. CoinGecko, one of the largest crypto data aggregators, recently issued an official warning regarding the circulation of misleading information about fake airdrops claimed to come from the platform. This warning was conveyed through uploads on platform X (formerly Twitter) on August 21, 2024.

In the upload, CoinGecko confirmed that rumors about the airport token circulating widely on social media are not true. CoinGecko stressed that they have no plans to launch an airdrop in the near future, so the information should be ignored. This warning comes in response to a number of posts on X that have mistakenly claimed that the airdrop from CoinGecko has been confirmed.

One of the uploads from a user named Wimar.X stated that participation in the airdrop was free of charge and had the potential to award more than 5,000 US dollars (Rp80,000,000).

The post also refers to a 2020 CoinGecko blog article discussing the CoinGecko Candy program, which is designed to reward loyal users of the platform. Not only that, Wimar.X even shared step-by-step guidelines on how to secure the fake airdrop.

However, CoinGecko firmly dismissed this claim and stated that the information was completely untrue. They also urge the crypto community to always be careful and verify the truth of information before following links or instructions spread on social media.

Crypto Fraud Under The Guise Of Airdrop

Airdrop scams are nothing new in the crypto world. Criminals often take advantage of the big name of trusted platforms to deceive suspicious users. CoinGecko itself had previously experienced a similar incident.

In early 2024, the company released a snapshot on Discord showing a fraudulent attempt by someone claiming to be the author of CoinGecko. The perpetrators attempted to contact various crypto projects, offering fake airdrop promotions.

In addition, in July 2023, Aptos Foundation's X account was hacked to promote fake crypto airdrops. In fact, the fraudster managed to hack Aptos CEO's account to further convince potential victims. A similar case also occurred in MetaMask, a digital wallet app, when they had to refute false airdrop rumors circulating following a statement from ConsenSys CEO at the ETHDenver 2023 event.