In a recent phishing scam, attackers impersonated an Andreessen Horowitz partner, Peter Lauten, to drain cryptocurrency wallets. The scammers noticed when Lauten changed his Twitter handle and quickly took over his old username. They then contacted targets in the crypto community, posing as Lauten and requesting meetings to discuss appearances on the venture capital firm’s crypto podcast.
To execute their scam, the attackers asked victims to download a video call software called “Vortax,” which was actually malware designed to drain wallets. The legitimacy of the scam was bolstered by the fact that Andreessen Horowitz’s website still listed Lauten’s old Twitter handle, making even cautious individuals more likely to fall for the ruse.
Crypto investigator zachxbt reported the incident and revealed that one victim lost $245,000 after their wallets were compromised by the malware. This incident highlights the growing sophistication of phishing attacks within the cryptocurrency industry, where scammers continuously refine their tactics to exploit unsuspecting victims.
Andreessen Horowitz has yet to comment on the breach, but the incident serves as a stark reminder for individuals and organizations in the crypto space to remain vigilant and verify the authenticity of communications, especially those involving sensitive information or software downloads.
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