Ripple’s Chief Technology Officer, David Schwartz, has recently taken to social media to assert his ability to steer clear of phishing attempts. This declaration came after a user, Cory Doctorow, shared a troubling experience of being swindled out of $8000 by a scam artist posing as his bank. Schwartz resonated with Doctorow’s predicament but remained optimistic about his own vigilance against such threats.

In a striking development, Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen fell victim to a cyberattack resulting in the theft of 213 million XRP tokens. Valued at approximately $112.5 million, the breach was a stark reminder of the ever-present danger in the digital currency space. Larsen was quick to clarify that his personal accounts were targeted, leaving Ripple’s infrastructure unharmed.

The crypto community responded promptly to Larsen’s misfortune, with Binance CEO Richard Teng announcing the immediate freezing of the hacker’s address. This quick action aimed to prevent any further movement of the pilfered assets. Larsen disclosed that the stolen XRP was being dispersed across various exchanges in a classic criminal attempt to launder the funds.

These security breaches are a testament to the advanced techniques scammers employ to exploit the cryptocurrency ecosystem. One notable method included the use of an AI-generated “deepfake scam video” of Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, which conned investors into sending their tokens to a fake address under the guise of doubling their investment.

David Schwartz has been proactively raising awareness about the threats facing digital asset users, including phishing attacks on NFT marketplace users like those on OpenSea. By sharing examples of phishing emails, Schwartz emphasizes the need for constant alertness to safeguard against these digital predators.