Криптовалютні шахрайства 2022 року, що коштували користувачам мільйони – і як не стати наступним

If you thought crypto hacks were just about technical vulnerabilities, think again. Last year proved that the biggest threats come in many shapes – from billion-dollar protocol exploits to celebrity NFT thefts to government-backed heists.

The Major Incidents That Shook 2022

Axie Infinity Lost $615M – and Almost Nobody Noticed at First

In March, hackers drained $615 million from Ronin, the sidechain powering Axie Infinity. The catch? Sky Mavis had temporarily weakened their security in December “just to test,” then forgot to fix it. A player trying to withdraw suddenly realized the liquidity was gone. By then, alleged North Korean attackers had already cleaned house. Axie later raised $125M to compensate users – but that covers only 20% of losses.

Why it matters: Most users in countries like the Philippines depend on Axie earnings to match their annual salary. One exploit wiped out months of income.

Seth Green’s Bored Ape Got Stolen for $297,000 in Recovery Fees

Robot Chicken creator Seth Green fell for a phishing scam in May and lost his entire NFT collection – including Bored Ape #8398 worth serious money. Someone flipped his ape to another collector, destroying Green’s IP license to create a sitcom around that character. To get it back? He paid $297,000 – nearly double the six-figure asking price. This single case exposed why NFT theft matters: stolen digital assets often lose their utility permanently.

BBC Accidentally Endorsed a Crypto Fraudster (Twice)

In February, the BBC published a glowing feature on “self-made crypto millionaire” Hanad Hassan, who turned £50 into millions. They even planned a 30-minute documentary. What the BBC missed: Hassan had already pulled the plug on his “charity token” Orfano in 2021, vanishing with investor funds. He then relaunched it as OrfanoX with fresh victims. The documentary aired just in time to make the BBC look silly.

The Scam Types Dominating 2022

Investment scheme reality check: Fake fund managers promise guaranteed returns on Bitcoin, pocket your upfront fees, and disappear.

Rug pulls: Projects hype a new coin, collect millions, lock selling restrictions in the code, then vanish. Investors hold worthless tokens.

Romance scams on dating apps: Catfishers build trust over months, then request crypto payment. Once sent, they ghost.

Phishing via email: Malicious links redirect you to clone websites asking for wallet keys and passwords.

Man-in-the-middle attacks: Using public WiFi? Attackers intercept login credentials and private keys in real-time.

Fake celebrity giveaways: “Follow us and send 0.1 BTC to receive 1 BTC back.” The website is fake. Your crypto is gone.

Ponzi schemes with crypto skin: Early investors get paid from new investor deposits, not actual returns. Eventually collapses.

Counterfeit exchanges: Slick UI, zero regulation, zero withdrawal ability once you deposit.

Job posting scams: “Hire” targets as contractors, request crypto for “training materials,” never hire anyone.

Actually Protecting Your Stack

Hardware > hot wallets. Private keys stored offline = attackers can’t reach them remotely. Digital wallets hosted online? Basically leaving your front door open.

Never share your seed phrase or private keys with anyone – not support staff, not friends, not even yourself in a DM.

Use VPN + strong passwords. Public WiFi is a phishing goldmine.

Verify before you click. No celebrity is airdropping BTC. No project is asking for your seed phrase. If it feels too easy, it probably is.

Assume it’s a scam until proven otherwise. Unlike banks, crypto losses don’t have FDIC insurance backing you up. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.