There’s no easy way to get Bitcoins, anyone who says differently is probably a scammer

Apr 10, 2014 11:42 GMT  ·  By

Spammy emails promising recipients a quick and easy way to become Bitcoin millionaires are sent out by cybercriminals in an effort to lure unsuspecting users to phishing websites.

Bitcoin might not be worth as much as it did once, but cybercriminals and scammers are still relying on the cryptocurrency. Some of them use it to launder their criminal proceeds, while others use it as bait.

Trend Micro researchers have come across a spam run that advertises a program called “Bitcoin Millionaire.” The emails carry the subject line “BITCOIN: The Easiest Way To Become A Millionaire In 30 Days Flat,” and they read something like this:

“Bitcoin is big business. The Bitcoin market is currently valued at $12.2 BILLION dollars.. and it’s surprisingly easy to take a slice of that IF you have the right automated software behind you.”

Recipients are told that they can make up to $23,000 (€16.500) by installing a piece of software that only requires three clicks of the mouse and runs automatically. The scammers claim “no experience or talent is required” and that they became millionaires “from a wheelchair.”

However, the links in the emails don’t point to any sophisticated Bitcoin mining software. Instead, they take victims to a bogus Bitcoin Millionaire website where they’re asked to enter their name, email address, phone number, physical address and even payment card information.

Experts highlight the fact that any kind of information can be entered on the website since it doesn’t verify that the data entered in the fields has the correct format. This usually means that the website has been created for phishing.

“Scammers often use ‘get rich quick’ schemes because these hold a certain appeal to users. After all, who wouldn’t want to get a large amount of money easily? However, these things are often too good to be true,” Michael Casayuran, an anti-spam research engineer with Trend Micro, noted in a blog post.

There was a time where you could mine for Bitcoins from a regular computer, but that time has long passed. Currently, you need specialized equipment to perform the sophisticated calculations. This means that any website or email advertising ways to obtains Bitcoins quickly is probably part of some scheme.

In case you’ve just realized that you’re a victim of this particular scam, it’s probably wise to contact your financial institution and tell them that your payment card has been compromised. Furthermore, you should keep an eye out for any other suspicious emails that might land in your inbox since you’ll probably continue to be targeted.