Key points:
- Hamster Kombat players are being targeted by phishing scams, particularly through fake airdrop claims and token conversion promises.
- The game has gained over 250 million users in less than 100 days, making it an attractive target for scammers.
- Cybersecurity firm Kaspersky has detected various fraudulent schemes targeting Hamster Kombat users.
- Scammers are using psychological manipulation to trick users into revealing login credentials and crypto wallet information.
- The rise in phishing attacks correlates with the game’s growing popularity and plans to launch its own cryptocurrency token.
The wildly popular mobile game Hamster Kombat has become the latest battleground for cybercriminals, with players falling victim to increasingly sophisticated phishing scams.
As the game’s user base swells to over 250 million in less than 100 days, scammers are capitalizing on its popularity to lure unsuspecting gamers into their traps.
Cybersecurity firm Kaspersky has reported a surge in phishing attacks targeting Hamster Kombat players, with scammers employing a variety of tactics to steal sensitive information.
Olga Svistunova, a security expert at Kaspersky, explained,
“Our team has exposed a series of fraudulent schemes targeting users of Hamster Kombat. In one scheme, scammers lure victims with promises of converting in-game coins to rubles through phishing links that require Telegram login credentials.”
These attacks often leverage the allure of free cryptocurrency or the promise of converting in-game tokens to real-world currency. Scammers create fake airdrop links and phishing websites that claim to offer Hamster cryptocurrency at a discount, all with the aim of stealing users’ crypto wallet information.
Once attackers gain access to a user’s account, they can steal data, send fraudulent messages, and even blackmail victims. The scope of these attacks is not limited to a single region, with experts warning that while Russian users are currently the primary targets, the scams could soon spread to other areas where the game is popular, such as the Philippines and Nigeria.
The timing of these attacks is not coincidental. Hamster Kombat has recently announced plans to launch its own cryptocurrency token, HMSTR, which is already listed for pre-trading on Bybit. This upcoming token launch has created a perfect storm for scammers to exploit user excitement and anticipation.
The rise in Hamster Kombat-related phishing scams is part of a broader trend in cryptocurrency fraud. According to data from ScamSniffer, victims lost $314 million to phishing attacks across all EVM chains in the first six months of 2024 alone, surpassing the total amount stolen in all of 2023.
Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram, the platform hosting Hamster Kombat, noted that the game is attracting four to five million new users per day, making it one of the world’s fastest-growing digital services. This rapid growth, while impressive, also presents significant security challenges.
As the game continues to grow and potentially launches its cryptocurrency, players are urged to remain vigilant.
Cybersecurity experts advise users to be wary of unsolicited messages, avoid clicking on suspicious links, and never share login credentials or wallet information.
