Scammed when exchanging virtual currency Pi 2
`Need to buy Pi for 160,000 VND, transfer money first and transfer Pi later, or meet in person to trade, buy as many as you want,` Thanh Dat account posted on a Facebook group about Pi Network with more than 200,000 members
Launched in 2019, the Pi Network project is still in the `closed mainnet` stage, meaning it only allows players to trade with each other and cannot buy or sell on digital currency exchanges.
A post to buy virtual currency Pi on Facebook.
Van Huy has been playing this virtual currency since 2020 and said he owns 7,500 Pi thanks to the `lightning trigger` process.
`They sent 200,000 VND as a deposit and asked me to make a video call and install the screen recording software sent by them. After entering the key code, all 3,500 Pi in the wallet disappeared,` Huy said.
Hoang Thuan (Dong Nai) also wants to sell Pi and advertised on a Facebook group.
According to Duy Anh, administrator of the Facebook group about virtual currency Pi with more than 160,000 members, the frequency of the topic of buying and selling Pi on the group has increased sharply since the end of last year.
`Every day, I still receive 5-10 complaints from members about them being tricked into transferring Pi to the buyer but not receiving the money,` Duy Anh said.
According to this administrator, the common method is that the scammer posts a post saying he needs to buy Pi at a much higher price than usual, but then `deposits` a small amount of money as a pledge, to lure the seller into transferring all the money.
According to Mr. Vo Do Thang, Director of Athena Network Security and Administration Training Center, a common form of stealing online accounts in general and digital wallets in particular is sending files or links containing malware.
`When entering the device, the malicious code will take over the account and withdraw money without the user being able to do anything,` Mr. Thang said.
A smartphone displays Pi virtual currency transaction details.
According to regulations, buying and selling goods with virtual currency is a violation of Vietnamese law, so participants – both sellers and buyers – may face legal risks.
However, at the end of June 2023, the Ministry of Public Security said it had coordinated with local police to investigate Pi’s activities.
