Beware the Friendly Texts From Strangers: US Sanctions Web Host Tied to $200M in Online Scam Losses
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The US has sanctioned a web hosting provider in the Philippines that's allegedly been selling thousands of internet domains to fraudsters.
On Thursday, the Treasury Department issued the sanctions against Funnull Technology and its administrator, a Chinese national named Liu Lizhi.
The agency accuses Funnull of supplying the 'computer infrastructure for hundreds of thousands of websites involved in virtual currency investment scams, commonly known as 'pig butchering.'" According to the Treasury Department, "Funnull has directly facilitated several of these schemes, resulting in over $200 million in US victim-reported losses."
This comes as the US has been trying to hit back at Asia-based scammers running large compounds dedicated to online fraud. Funnull allegedly generates "large numbers of similar but unique names" for fraudulent websites, and even provides web design templates to the cybercriminals, the Treasury Department says.
'The scammers then steal victims' assets by convincing them to invest in virtual currency through a fake website designed to look like a legitimate investment platform that reflects significant, but fabricated, returns on the investment,' the agency added.
The FBI issued its own alert, which includes a list of domain names involved in the fraud. Scammers often reach out to US users through texts or social media messages. They pose as a potential romantic partner or friend, with the goal of gaining the victim's trust before asking them to invest in a fraudulent cryptocurrency investment scheme.
'Funnull facilitates these scams by purchasing IP addresses and providing hosting services and other internet infrastructure to groups performing these frauds,' the FBI adds. 'Funnull acquires these facilities from legitimate providers in the United States and sells them to cyber criminals.'
However, the sanctions promise to cut off Funnull from purchasing internet domains from US companies. Funnull didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
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