Tether (USDT) denounces extortion attempt for 500 BTC
After having closed a cycle in the saga with Bitfinex, Tether (USDT) is back in the news. On this occasion, the company has denounced the extortion attempt by an anonymous agent who demands the payment of 500 BTC in order not to make public some documents related to the company.
Tether (USDT) denounces extortion attempt for 500 BTC
Scams, fraud, and extortion are not events outside the crypto space. This time the victim is the company behind the most important stablecoin on the market: Tether.
During the afternoon of Sunday, February 28, Tether denounced through a thread on the social network Twitter the extortion attempt by an anonymous agent, who claims that he has confidential company documents.
Tether, for its part, states that these are false. The fact does not end there but, on the contrary, the malicious agent demands payment of 500 BTC (approximately 27.5 million dollars at current price) in order not to disclose the information:
Today we also received a ransom demand for 500 BTC to be sent to bc1qa9f60pved3w3w0p7snpxlnh5t4uj95vxn797a7. The sender said that, unless they receive the BTC by tomorrow, they will leak documents to the public in an effort to “harm the bitcoin ecosystem.” We are not paying. 2/5
— Tether (@Tether_to) February 28, 2021
A few days ago Tether made the news. The Attorney General of the State of New York, Letitia James, declared the actions of the companies Tether and Bitfinex as illegal, sentenced them to cease operations in their jurisdiction, and imposed a fine of 18.5 million dollars.
In the midst of this event, the company evaluates whether the extortion attempt is specifically directed against Tether. Finally, Tether calls on the crypto community as a whole to remain calm in the face of this extortion attempt:
We want our customers, personnel, and the crypto community to stay safe. Please always be vigilant and practice good operational security. 4/5
— Tether (@Tether_to) February 28, 2021
And they conclude:
It is unclear whether this is a basic extortion scheme like those directed at other crypto companies or people looking to undermine Tether and the crypto community as a whole. Either way, those seeking to harm Tether are getting increasingly desperate. 3/5
— Tether (@Tether_to) February 28, 2021
Sadly, cryptocurrency scams and extortions don’t just happen to retail users. Tether’s complaint calls for vigilance against any suspicious actor who wants to violate the user’s security and immediately go to the corresponding authorities.
Read more:
- Unregulated Stablecoins Such As Tether Face Increasing Regulatory Pressure From The U.S. Government
- Tether Is Not Under Investigation For Pumping Bitcoin But Is Still Entangled In A Fraudulent Reserves Backing USDT Question