Crypto Lawyer and XRP Defender John Deaton Issues Lengthy Warning to Traders: Beware of Scammers

XRP supporter and crypto lawyer John Deaton is warning investors about scammers within the burgeoning digital assets industry.

In a new lengthy thread on the social media platform X, Deaton says that bad actors are targeting crypto exchange accounts and private wallets with sophisticated scams.

“If you get an email with a link do not click the link unless you are 100% certain it’s legit, and even then be suspicious. Make sure you have 2FA (two-factor authentication) set up with your accounts and NEVER share passwords or seed phrases.

Some people might say or think ‘if you’re dumb enough to share your password, you deserve to lose your [stash].’ No innocent person deserves to be robbed, tricked or cheated out of their hard-earned savings!”

Deaton, who represented Ripple Labs when the firm was sued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for allegedly selling XRP as unregistered securities, goes on to share a personal story about hackers using advanced tactics in an attempt to rob him.

According to Deaton, scammers hacked into his WiFi network, sent him a fake email from his crypto exchange service saying he needed to change his password and went as far as impersonating a customer service employee of the crypto exchange to encourage him.

When prompted to enter his password to “recover” it, Deaton says he realized he was being scammed and took action.

“I lied and said I didn’t have my laptop handy and asked him to call me back in 30 minutes…

At that moment, I turned off my WiFi, and using cellular service only, I clicked my [crypto exchange’s app] and was able to access my account without issue. I knew then that my home network had been compromised.

Because I had accessed my law firm network, working from home, my business network had been compromised as well. A couple of months later my cell phone SIM card and Twitter accounts were hacked.”

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