Crypto scammers are using black market identities to avoid detection: CertiK
Crypto scammers have been accessing a “cheap and easy” black market of individuals willing to put their name and face on fraudulent projects — all for the low price of $8, blockchain security firm CertiK has uncovered.
These individuals, described by CertiK as “Professional KYC actors” would, in some cases, voluntarily become the verified face of a crypto project, gaining trust in the crypto community prior to an “insider hack or exit scam.”
Other uses of these KYC actors include using their identities to open up bank or exchange accounts on behalf of the bad actors.
According to a Nov. 17 blog post, CertiK analysts were able to find over 20 underground marketplaces hosted on Telegram, Discord, mobile apps, and gig websites to recruit KYC actors for as low as $8 for simple “gigs” like passing the KYC requirements “to open a bank or exchange account from a developing country.”
Pricier jobs involve the KYC actor putting their face and name on a fraudulent project. CertiK noted that most actors are seemingly exploited as they are based in developing countries “with an above-average concentration in South-East Asia” and paid around $20 or $30 per role.
Meanwhile, more complex requirements or verification processes could fetch an even higher asking price, particularly if the KYC actors are residents of countries considered a low money laundering risk.
Some roles paid up to $500 a week if an actor was to play the role of CEO for a malicious project but the KYC actor market was “marginal” compared to the market for already KYCed bank and crypto exchange accounts according to CertiK.
Crypto to fiat — or vice-versa — conversions were also cited as a significant percentage of the transactions seen on these marketplaces with CertiK
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