Crypto scammers have been accessing a “cheap and easy” black market of individuals willing to put their name and face on fraudulent projects — all for the low price of $8.00, blockchain security firm CertiK has uncovered. These individuals, described by CertiK as “Professional KYC actors,” would, in some cases, voluntarily become the verified face of a crypto project, gaining trust in the crypto community prior to an “insider hack or exit scam.” Other uses of these Know Your Customers (KYC) actors include using their identities to open up bank or exchange accounts on behalf of the bad actors. According to a Nov. 17 blog post, CertiK analysts were able to find over 20 underground marketplaces hosted on Telegram, Discord, mobile apps and gig websites to recruit KYC actors for as low as $8.00 for simple “gigs” like passing the KYC requirements “to open a bank or exchange account from a developing country.” Pricier jobs involve the KYC actor putting their face and name on a fraudulent project. CertiK noted that most actors are seemingly exploited as they are based in developing countries “with an above-average concentration in South-East Asia” and paid around $20 or $30 per role.
Read more : Crypto scammers are using black market identities to avoid detection: CertiK.
