Epik hack reveals the price scammers will pay for fake cryptocurrency websites

And, if they do, users have no recourse, Nikiforakis said, especially because they’ve lost cryptocurrency, rather than regular money. Cryptocurrency, a form of digital money that has lately soared in price, relies on cryptography to make sure that only the owner of a “wallet” can spend the money it contains. But, once that wallet is stolen, that security works to protect the thief, meaning it’s nearly impossible to get it back — even with a court order.