The Director of Product Management for Counter-Abuse and Identity Services at Google, Mark Risher, has warned Bitcoin investors not to publicly boast of any profits they have made from the cryptocurrency. With the worry of hackers and phishing attacks targeting Bitcoin and other digital currency investors, Risher has advised an old fashioned approach – just keeping quiet about any bitcoin winnings.

Talking to the press on Safer Internet Day (6th February) in Munich, Risher stated that the bitcoin hype was a reason for criminals to look to investors who have made a lot of money out of the steady rise in cryptocurrency values. By talking about how much money you’ve made from Bitcoin on social media, or by posting about how you work for a cryptocurrency company, you are immediately opening up the chance of a cybercriminal spotting those boasts and initiating a phishing attack on you.

There is no shame in falling for a phishing scam, as it genuinely can happen to anyone. What Mark Risher worries about is that the unregulated nature of cryptocurrencies makes them a perfect target for cybercriminals. Putting in place safeguard methods, such as two-factor authentication, is the way forward for the majority of users, instead of having long and complicated passwords that are difficult to remember.