The scammer stole almost half a million dollars under the guise of the OpenSea NFT platform
Date: 2023-07-12 Author: Karina Ziganova Categories: BUSINESS, IN WORLD
A Moroccan citizen was able to enlist the support of a search engine to advertise a fraudulent copy of OpenSea, according to the US prosecutor's office
The US Prosecutor's Office has accused Moroccan citizen Sufian Olahaina of stealing $450,000 using a fake copy of the OpenSea NFT marketplace. The charges were published by the press service of the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York
According to investigators, the Moroccan stole almost half a million dollars in non-fungible tokens (NFTs). At the same time, the entire stolen amount falls on only one victim - an investor from Manhattan. The Moroccan has already been arrested by local authorities at the request of a foreign country.
It is reported that he placed an advertisement for his fraudulent copy of OpenSea on a certain search engine. At the moment, the clone was on the first page in the search results, which could play into the hands of the attacker. When victims entered their username and password on the site, the data was immediately sent via email to the scammer.
According to US security officials, the Moroccan stole almost 40 NFTs, including expensive tokens from the Bored Ape Yacht Club, Meebit, Bored Ape Kennel Club, CryptoDad and others. The suspect is charged with several offences, the cumulative penalty for which is up to 45 years in prison.
Earlier, the editors wrote that the former OpenSea manager was found guilty of insider trading. According to prosecutors, former product manager at OpenSea, Nathaniel Chastain, selected collections for release on the marketplace. After that, he would often buy these NFTs and then resell them after listing on the platform. He was charged with fraud and money laundering in connection with these alleged transactions.
