An investigation conducted by Bitdefender has allowed the dismantling of this campaign’s operation, which lasted for eight months and affected users in numerous countries across several continents, an international scam based on the popularity of SpaceX.
Researchers detected that the organization was active between October 2025 and June 2026.
During that period, the criminals designed a highly elaborate strategy to attract investors using SpaceX’s prestige and the enormous interest generated by any news related to the company.
The network operated in more than 15 countries in Europe, North America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Among the territories where a higher activity of fraudulent emails was recorded are Australia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, France, Romania, and South Africa.
Although the company’s IPO marked an important point, the cybercriminals continued exploiting the theme even afterward, adapting their messages to maintain the deception.
Five different channels to capture victims
One of the most striking aspects of the investigation is the complexity of the operation.
The scammers did not rely on a single contact method but combined several channels to increase their credibility.
The resources used included:
- Sponsored ads on social media.
- Massive email campaigns.
- SMS messages.
- Seemingly professional webinars.
- Personalized phone calls.
Each of these avenues fulfilled a specific function within the recruitment process, progressively increasing the victim’s trust until convincing them to make an investment.
False exclusivity as the main hook
The emails did not directly offer the purchase of shares. Instead, they informed the user that they had been selected to check if they met the necessary requirements to access a limited opportunity related to the supposed public offer.
This approach generated a sense of privilege and urgency, two psychological elements widely used in financial fraud campaigns.
The websites used mimicked the appearance of legitimate investment platforms and requested personal and contact information before continuing with the process.
Artificial intelligence to increase credibility
Artificial intelligence was present in practically the entire operation. The criminals claimed to use advanced algorithms capable of performing automatic operations with high profitability.
According to the investigation, the supposed automated trading platforms promised returns much higher than usual market returns, presenting AI as a guarantee of practically assured success.
To reinforce the deception, the scammers constantly linked these tools with the technological innovation associated with SpaceX.
A 16-minute call to close the investment
As part of the analysis, Bitdefender specialists registered their data on one of the fraudulent websites created by the organization.
Shortly after, they received a 16-minute phone call in which the caller claimed to earn over 11,000 euros weekly thanks to these investments.
During the conversation, they continually resorted to the name of SpaceX, supposed systems based on artificial intelligence, and commercial pressure techniques to convince the victim to invest as soon as possible.
Experts remind us that, as is obvious, no legitimate company guarantees high profits in such a short time or requests immediate decisions under pressure.
