"A growing number of scammers are impersonating TechCrunch reporters and event leads and reaching out to companies, pretending to be our staff when they absolutely are not. These bad actors are using our name and reputation to try to dupe unsuspecting businesses. It drives us crazy and infuriates us on your behalf. It ebbs and flows. Judging by the increased number of emails we're receiving, asking, "Does this person really work for you?" it appears to be happening more actively at the moment."
"Here's an example of the most common scheme we've been tracking: Impostors impersonating our reporters to extract sensitive business information from unsuspecting targets. In several cases we know about, scammers have adopted the identity of actual staff members, crafting what looks like a standard media inquiry about a company's products and requesting an introductory call."
Scammers impersonate TechCrunch reporters and event leads to contact companies and extract sensitive business information. They adopt identities of actual staff members and craft what appear to be standard media inquiry emails requesting introductory calls. Sharp-eyed recipients sometimes catch discrepancies in email addresses, but tactics evolve as bad actors mimic reporters' writing styles and reference startup trends to appear convincing. Phone interviews are used to probe for proprietary details, and scheduling links have raised suspicions. The motive likely involves gaining initial access to networks or other sensitive data. Fraud targeting trusted news brands is increasing across the media industry.
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