Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody released an information brochure on Tuesday to detect cryptocurrency scams, which totaled more than $200 million in 2021 across the US, according to official figures.
“The rapid rise in popularity of cryptocurrencies has drawn the attention of criminals trying to exploit the trend to scam Floridians,” Moody said to introduce the “Scams at a Glance” brochure and urge reporting scams through the Internet. number 1(866) 9NO-SCAM or the website MyFloridaLegal.com.
The attorney general asks Floridians to be vigilant when offered “big returns on investments” in cryptocurrencies and warns that “celebrity endorsements and testimonials can be easily falsified.”
“Make sure you do a thorough research before buying cryptocurrencies or using them in a transaction,” he warns.
The brochure also says that “promises of free money, whether in cash or cryptocurrencies” should be seen as “a big red flag”, as well as “big promises of benefits without details or explanations”.
It even warns of “blackmail attempts”, since “fraudsters often send emails saying they have embarrassing or compromising material from a person and threaten to make it public unless a cryptocurrency payment is made.”
“Don’t do it, report the extortion to the FBI immediately. If you get a text, tweet, call, email, or social media message asking you to send crypto, it’s a scam.”
It also says that “fraudsters can create a new cryptocurrency and fraudulently encourage victims to purchase it as an investment despite having little actual value.”
“As the price of that cryptocurrency increases, the scammers sell their holdings and make a profit, while the victims are left with a cryptocurrency that is worth much less than what they invested,” he warned.
In Miami, the most populous city in Florida, cryptocurrencies are becoming more common and popular, and are even used in real estate transactions or to take out a mortgage.
Precisely in these days, an operation to purchase a luxury apartment in the heart of Miami for 7 million “USD Coin”, a type of cryptocurrency known as “stable”, was known.
A “USD Coin” is guaranteed a value equivalent to the dollar.
The city, whose mayor, Francis Suárez, is a promoter of the use of cryptocurrencies, has given the name to one of them, the MiamiCoin, whose value, according to a specialized website, has fallen by 14.71% in the last seven days .
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