The thieves hijacked the website of finance security start-up Enigma and posted messages saying it was about to launch its own currency.

Many people keen to cash in transferred ethereum to the thieves’ account.

In response, Enigma shut down its website and adopted stronger security policies to keep hackers out.

In a statement posted to its Twitter account, Enigma said the thieves had carried out the scam after taking over the company’s web domain, mailing lists and Slack messaging service account.

By posting a message on the Enigma website and sending notices out via Slack and email, the malicious hackers convinced many people the security company was seeking early investors.

The attackers played on the fact that early next month Enigma plans to run a crypto-cash-based fundraising exercise to bankroll its expansion.

The criminal hackers asked for investments to be paid in ethereum and are believed to have amassed about $500,000 worth before the scam was spotted and shut down.

Enigma said none of its infrastructure had been used for the scam and none of its funds had been stolen by the attackers.

It said it had now regained control of its compromised accounts.

It has also adopted stronger security measures internally to prevent hijacks.

Enigma has also stopped using Slack and moved to the secure messaging program Telegram.

“We’ve moved up a number of critical security steps and taken additional measures to protect the community going forward,” Tor Bair, a spokesman for Enigma, told Wired.

“We’re now very well aware of the potential threats and are taking no chances.”

Enigma added it was helping to investigate the scam and who was behind it with the help of other crypto-cash and security companies.

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Source: BBC

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Posing as an Asian-based manufacturer, Evaldas Rimasauskas tricked staff into transferring money into bank accounts under his control, US officials said.

The companies were not named but were described as US-based multinationals, with one operating in social media.

Officials called it a wake-up call for even “the most sophisticated” firms.

According to the US Department of Justice, Mr Rimasauskas, 48 – who was arrested in Lithuania last week – deceived the firms from at least 2013 up until 2015.

He allegedly registered a company in Latvia which bore the same name as an Asian-based computer hardware manufacturer and opened various accounts in its name at several banks.

‘Fake email accounts’

The DoJ said: “Thereafter, fraudulent phishing emails were sent to employees and agents of the victim companies, which regularly conducted multimillion-dollar transactions with [the Asian] company.”

The emails, which “purported” to be from employees and agents of the Asian firm, and were sent from fake email accounts, directed money for legitimate goods and services into Mr Rimasauskas’s accounts, the DoJ said.

The cash was then “wired into different bank accounts” in locations around the world – including Latvia, Cyprus, Slovakia, Lithuania, Hungary and Hong Kong.

He also “forged invoices, contracts and letters” to hide his fraud from the banks he used.

Officials said Mr Rimasauskas siphoned off more than $100m in total, although much of the stolen money has been recovered.

Acting US Attorney Joon H Kim said: “This case should serve as a wake-up call to all companies… that they too can be victims of phishing attacks by cybercriminals.

“And this arrest should serve as a warning to all cybercriminals that we will work to track them down, wherever they are, to hold them accountable.”

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Source: BBC

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According to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, there were 3,889 victims of so-called romance fraud last year, who handed over a record £39m.

Action Fraud, the UK’s cyber-crime reporting centre, says it receives more than 350 reports of such scams a month.

One woman who lost more than £300,000 says she felt emotionally “brutalised”.

Nancy – not her real name – is 47, and a single mother from North Yorkshire, who runs her own business.

In 2015, after her marriage broke down, she signed up to dating site Match.com.

After a few days she made contact with someone calling himself Marcelo from Manchester, an attractive Italian who was working in Turkey, with whom she had “a rapport and similar values”.

“Marcelo” soon persuaded Nancy to move their chat off the dating website and on to an instant messaging service. The two began exchanging messages from morning till night.

After about six weeks, Marcelo said he had been mugged in Turkey and was unable to pay his workers before returning to the UK, when he and Nancy were due to meet. He also said his son was in hospital and needed surgery.

Nancy said she was uncomfortable with the situation but ended up “reluctantly” sending 3,650 euros (£3,160).

“It escalated unbelievably quickly, so straight away it was the medical fees, then it was money for food, money needed to pay rent, money for taxes to get out of Turkey.

“I wasn’t comfortable, and then I got so far in I couldn’t get myself out, and I didn’t want to walk away having lost £50,000 or what-have-you, so you keep going in the hope that you’re wrong and this person is genuine.”

Nancy says she’s now facing bankruptcy after having lost “over £300,000, maybe even over £350,000”.

“That’s really frightening, and the other aspect is that somebody’s got inside your head, and they’ve just brutalised you emotionally. In some ways I’m not sure I’ll ever recover from that.”

Match.com says it provides regular advice on how to stay safe and suggests members keep conversations on the site “so that our customer care team can identify abnormal activity”.

Online safety advice

• Criminals who commit romance fraud trawl through profiles and piece together information such as wealth and lifestyle, in order to manipulate their victims
• Police can investigate and help to provide support, but often cannot get the money back
• It is very simple for fraudsters to cover their tracks by masking IP addresses and using unregistered phone numbers
• Never send money to someone online you have never met
• Think twice about posting personal information which could be used to manipulate or bribe you

Source: Action Fraud

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Source: BBC

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The concerns come barely twenty-four hours to the first of three creditors’ meeting scheduled by the Official Liquidator.

The Official Liquidator is set to meet the 70,000 customers validated for payment of their locked up investments, via three separate creditors’ meetings across the country.

The first meeting comes of tomorrow, Tuesday, September 20, 2016 at the Brong Ahafo regional capital, Sunyani.

But the spokesperson for a group of the concerned customers in the region, Maxwell Mahama tells Citi Business News the members are unsatisfied with the means of communication.

According to him, they are forced to rely on some media reports and ‘unconfirmed’ messages on social platforms.

“As I talk to you now it is only whatsapp messages and some statements circulating that do not bear the signature of the Official Liquidator,” he remarked.

But responding to the concerns, the Acting Registrar General and Official Liquidator, Jemima Oware explained that the medium of communication could only be done through the nationwide circulated newspapers and online platforms.

“We have published the information in the national news papers… there are about 63,000 to 70,000 creditors; as such we cannot be able to call them up individually. So once we are aware that the media has been able to get wind of the information, we consider it circulated. And we equally expect them to inform other creditors,” she explained.

Mrs Oware further disclosed the iterinary for each of the three occasions as,

“Basically it is the first creditors meeting where we will be providing all the creditors with the requisite information on the liquidation.”

“We will be informing them on schedules in relation to when and how much and how many people will be paid so we urge all the creditors to be present,” she added.

Meanwhile the representatives of the aggrieved customers have assured of their continuous co-operation with the process to get their issues addressed.

“Those of us who have heard the information on the meeting will certainly be there to listen to what the Official Liquidator has in store for us,” Maxwell Mahama stated.

“We are more than prepared to meet the Official Liquidator on the 24^th of September at the scheduled venue,” Fred Kuuyine, Spokesperson for some affected customers of DKM in the Upper West region opined.

The two other creditors’ meeting are expected to be held at the Jubilee Parks at Upper East (Bolgatanga) and Upper West (Wa) on the 22^nd and 24^th September respectively.

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By: Pius Amihere Eduku/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana

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The Police Service in a statement signed by its Director of Public Affairs, Supt Cephas Arthur, said “scammers operate under the guise of Police and create accident scenarios to hoodwink unsuspecting members of the  public.”

It further noted that “victims receive unexpected calls indicating that some supposed relations of theirs have hit the rear of Police vehicles and that the occupant police officers are demanding money instantly through a given mobile money transfer line, to drop this money, the failure of which they threaten to process the suspect for court.”

The Police Service advised Ghanaians to be wary of the scam and also desist from the temptation to pay money to save one’s relations.

“The public is advised to report all such situations to the Police or call Police hotlines MTN and Vodafone 18555 or 191 on all networks for prompt action.”

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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