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January 25, 2018 - If you've never heard of a crypto-currency named SpriteCoin, that's simply because it doesn't exist. SpriteCoin is being advertised by scammers as a new crypto-currency… much like BitCoin. Anyone falling for their pitch online is asked to download a supposedly-secure digital wallet that will be used to store their SpriteCoins. And that's when the trouble begins.
The wallet download will actually place malware on your computer. That malware will immediately begin to encrypt your computer files; making them inaccessible. Once that is done, you'll be hit with a demand to pay a ransom. If you don't pay, your data is completely gone. That's the bad news. The good news - if you can call it that - is that the ransom being demanded so far is low; somewhere between $100 and $125. Most ransomware attacks will demand ransoms ranging into the thousands of dollar range.
Once you pay the ransom, the SpriteCoin attack isn't over. Rather than just providing you with a decryption key for your data, the people behind SpriteCoin actually download more malware to your computer during the decryption process. At that point, you'll be able to read your data but your computer's camera can be used to spy on you and the scam artists will steal all of the digital certificates on your computer. This leaves you open to future attacks that may cost more money.
As always, we're advising our readers to regularly back-up their data. We also realize that most people don't do this. So we're warning users to be vigilant about any links they click on or programs they download. And before you install software for any crypto-currency, do a little research. Crypto-currencies are the rage right now, but that also makes them a device that can be used by criminals to attract new victims.
byJim Malmberg
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Fraud and Scams 
