Key Takeaways
- Crypto users are being targeted with fake video meeting tools and other software applications.
- Scammers trick users into downloading malware by convincing them it is a legitimate app.
- Info-stealers then exfiltrate victims’ passwords and drain their crypto wallets.
Crypto users and web3 companies are being targeted by a sophisticated social engineering scam that tricks victims into downloading wallet-draining malware.
Posing as legitimate software providers, complete with fake websites, social media accounts, and whitepapers, the scammers pretend to offer videoconferencing tools and other apps. In reality, victims are downloading a dangerous crypto trojan.
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How Does the Meeten Scam Work?
First detailed by security researchers in December 2024, “Meeten” is the name assigned to a strain of scamware designed to look like an innocent software application.
To avoid detection, scammers have cycled through various fake names, including Clusee, Cuesee, Meeten, and Meetio. Each was presented to companies as a new videoconferencing tool. But the downloaded software actually contains info-stealers such as Realst.
The Realst malware prompts users to enter their system password and gets to work exfiltrating data. If available, it can steal Telegram credentials, banking card details, keychain credentials, cookies and autofill credentials from major web browsers, and crypto wallet details.
Scammers Diversify Tactics
In a recent variation oof the Meeten scam, North Korean hackers tricked victims into downloading an info-stealer masquerading as a Zoom update.
Meanwhile, scammers have expanded their repertoire of forgery to include bogus games, social media platforms, AI apps and other software tools.
For instance, in May, several victims reported losing crypto after downloading Swox, which was described as a “next-generation social network in Web3.”
Research by Darktrace has identified sixteen fake companies deploying some version of the Meeten scam, often recycling similar themes and content.
Creating a Fake Company
Scammers go to great lengths to create the illusion that they are peddling legitimate products.
For example, the fake social network Swox created an entire GitHub repository, complete with code copied from real projects.
Likewise, a fabricated Web3 game developer using the name Eternal Decay shared doctored images online to create the impression that it had presented at real events.
Scammers also directed victims to a Companies House registration page for a legitimate business with the same name.
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James Morales is CCN’s blockchain and crypto policy reporter. He has been working in the news media since 2020, writing about topics such as payments, banking and financial technology. These days, he likes to explore the latest blockchain innovations and the evolving landscape of global crypto regulation.
With an educational background in social anthropology and media studies, James uses his platform as a journalist to explore how new technologies work, why they matter and how they might shape our future.
