Real Story: The Encounter With a Phantom Scammer

Being a victim or almost a victim of phantom scams? Do not panic!

Even the most diligent person can still fall for these types of scams, especially when they look really legitimate. For example, on Facebook, they sponsored the cryptocurrency website, Finance Phantom, through a fake legitimate newspaper website. There are so many fake websites on the internet about it, each with a different logo.

There are also YouTube videos that promote this fake website.

As you can see the links of the "official website" are different, which is abnormal because official websites have a unique link.

Why does it appear legitimate? You have "legitimate newspapers" that promote the website, making you more likely to click on it. Unfortunately, when you look at the website, it seems pretty authentic, so sometimes you don’t pay attention to the link. The reviews given about the website are too good to be true and make you want to invest because they guarantee you can earn a lot of money. They also use pictures of celebrities who supposedly invested in cryptocurrencies to make it more realistic.

Suggestion: Make sure you do your research first before falling for this type of scam.

So, what’s happening? You have fake websites, fake reviewers, and then scammers. After you enter your information on the supposedly legitimate website, you will receive a call from the scammer, who will use a phone number similar to your area code or some random area code in your country. Those numbers won't work if you try to call them back. ‍

Note: You should see it as a scam if they call you back again with a completely different number.

Scammers may seem nice, similar to customer service representatives, but they will do their best to scam you and get your money.

They send you those links so you will make the payment. Additionally, as you can see, the phone numbers are different, the links are different, the person's signature is not professional, and the name of the person may not be their real name. Also, the logo and brand are not the same.

So, if you ever made the payment or submitted some information, don’t stress. The first step to do is to contact your bank. They will help you by canceling the card used and advise you on steps to take to avoid identity theft. It’s also a good idea to contact local authorities and the Anti-Fraud Centre of your country so they can be notified if scammers tried to use your ID for malicious purposes.

In the next article, we will explore more about phantom scams in details which will prevent you from failing into this type of scam.