Cybercriminals target Hamster Kombat gamers with phishing scams
Players of the Telegram-based game Hamster Kombat are the latest targets of malicious actors promoting phishing scams. According to a report by cybersecurity firm Kaspersky, phishing schemes targeting gamers have gained popularity in recent weeks.
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The increase in phishing attacks corresponds with the growth in the number of Hamster Kombat users and anticipation of token listing. Phishing has become one of the most used methods by bad actors to steal from users.
Fake Hamster Kombat airdrop claims used to entice gamers
The malicious attackers targeting Hamster Kombat players have been using various methods, according to security experts. In some cases, these scammers send phishing links to trick users with promises of converting their in-game tokens into fiat currency, Russian rubles particularly.
With these phishing links, hackers gain control of users’ accounts and use them for malicious purposes, ranging from stealing data to sending fraudulent messages. There are also reports of hackers blackmailing victims after gaining access to their accounts.
Another popular method has been through fake airdrop links. Most of these airdrop links contain malicious codes to steal the private keys of users’ crypto wallets or gain authorization for their wallets. These fake pages have become prominent, promising everything from free coins to withdrawals.
The surge in phishing incidents might be connected to Hamster’s plan to launch a token. The tap-to-earn game has accumulated over 250 million users in less than 100 days and has been teasing plans to launch a token. Its HMSTR token is already listed for pre-trading on Bybit, and it recently announced a partnership with Crypto.com.
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Meanwhile, its app experienced some issues on July 15, making it impossible for some users to log in. However, it has fixed those issues, and the platform is fully operational.
Phishing scams on the rise
The phishing scams connected to the game highlight the rise in these types of attacks this year. According to ScamSniffer data, victims lost $314 million to phishing attacks across all EVM chains in the first six months of 2024 alone. This is already more than the total amount stolen in 2023 and will likely continue at this rate.
Scammers have been using various methods to execute their attacks. These include Permit phishing signatures, which allow the scammer to sign transactions off-chain for the affected address, and address spoofing, in which the address is contaminated, and users unknowingly send funds to the wrong address similar to the correct one.
These scammers usually take advantage of trending situations to lure in victims. For example, several fake accounts and phishing websites emerged after the WazirX exploit. These scammers who were impersonating the exchange promised to refund users.
Cybersecurity experts note that most Hamster Kombat-focused phishing schemes target Russians. However, the attackers could soon spread their target to other regions where the game has many users, such as the Philippines and Nigeria.
