Digital currency exchange Kraken sent out an email yesterday warning all clients about a Mt.Gox phishing email that is allegedly being sent to members of the BitcoinTalk.com forum. The fraudulent email is crafted to appear as if it is coming from Kraken “Client Engagement” and contain a malicious Google drive link, which supposedly holds a list of the status of each Mt.Gox claim.
Kraken’s official warning email explains:
“If you received an email with the subject Mtgox.Claim assessment process, delete it and do not click on the link it contains! This email did not come from Kraken, but was spoofed to look as though it came from our support email ([email protected]). “
Kraken CEO Jesse Powell also posted a warning on Reddit. While Kraken claims that the perpetrators are using a compromised BitcoinTalk database, many members say they haven’t received the malicious email. Kraken assured clients that their IT infrastructure is safe:
“You can be assured that this incident was not the result of any breach in Kraken’s database and your personal information with Kraken is safe.”
Kraken’s blog post also directs all current BitcoinTalk members to hide their contact details on the forum, “We do not know exactly how the email addresses were obtained, but if your email address on BitcoinTalk is not hidden, you should consider hiding it.” says Kraken. Users who only clicked the malicious Google drive link in the phishing email are unlikely to be affected, as an infection would require the opening of the downloaded file.
The fraudulent email directs users to call the Mt.Gox Bankruptcy Trustee directly at a false phone number in Japan.
The legitimate method for all Mt.Gox claimants to check their status is though the official portal: https://claims.mtgox.com
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