Cryptocurrency fraudsters demand ransom in bitcoin, threatening to mine supermarkets

A massive wave of supermarket «phone mines» took place in the United States, with attackers demanding ransom in bitcoin and gift cards. The Wall Street Journal reports this with reference to the direct speech of supermarket employees. It is reported that the wave of «phone mines» has been going on for several months. Walmart, Kroger, and Whole Foods Market shopping centers are affected.

According to a Kroger spokesperson, the case is being investigated by the FBI, but details of the investigation are not disclosed. The WSJ notes that it is not yet clear whether the phone attacks are part of a single criminal campaign. However, it turned out that the attackers' demands are not similar to the actions of foreign hackers. For example, during one of the phone attacks, the criminal demanded a relatively small ransom of $ 5000 in BTC.

Cryptocurrency has long been a powerful tool for extortionists. In 2021, Trend Micro analysts described an incident in which unknown cybercriminals extorted bitcoins from businesses by posing as the DarkSide hacker group, which had already disintegrated by that time. The attackers sent emails to companies specializing in the energy and food industries. In the emails, the fraudsters claimed to have hacked into corporate networks and threatened to publicly disclose confidential information in case of non-payment of the 100 BTC ransom.

Earlier, we talked about a group of international cybercriminals who stole cryptocurrency in the eurozone. Eurojust, Europol, and law enforcement agencies of the EU member states jointly eliminated the fraudsters. According to the agencies, the criminals offered gullible investors «exceptional opportunities for investing in cryptocurrencies.» Investors were lured through targeted advertising on social media, fake websites, and specialized call centers. Investors from Germany suffered the largest losses, and the total financial damage caused to the victims exceeded € 2 million.