According to data provided by the blockchain analysis company – Elliptic – investors have lost $12 billion to criminals targeting decentralized finance platforms since the beginning of 2021. More than $10 billion of that amount accounts for cases of fraud and theft on DeFi products. Seven Times More Than in 2020 Over the recent years,...Read More
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warned about an “increase in scammers” employing crypto ATMs and Quick Response (QR) codes for fraudulent activities. The agency gave valuable tips on how individuals can protect themselves on such occasions. Beware When Using Crypto ATMs Quick Response codes – machine-scannable images that can instantly be read using a...Read More
Google’s Threat Analysis Group revealed that cybercriminals have been targeting YouTube content creators in phishing campaigns for the last two years. The bad actors often hijack their channels and either sell them back for a higher price or employ them to broadcast digital asset scams. YouTubers, Stay Alert In its report, Google’s team explained that...Read More
The number of cryptocurrency-related crimes in the United Kingdom has significantly surged in the first nine months of 2021 comparing to last year, reads a recent report. The local police warned that bad actors often use a fake celebrity endorsement to lure people in. Youngsters Are The Most in Danger According to a recent Bloomberg...Read More
The Federal Bureau of Investigation partnered up with the Israeli Police to arrest 26 people alleged of offenses related to digital currencies employment. While the operation happened in Tel Aviv, it involved victims who all reside abroad. Detaining The Criminals According to a local report, the FBI and the Tel Aviv district fraud unit of...Read More
American online streaming giant Netflix is preparing to release a documentary, which focuses on the death of Gerald Cotten, founder and CEO of the now-defunct Canadian cryptocurrency exchange, QuadrigaCX. Netflix made the announcement via Twitter on Thursday (September 23, 2021), with the documentary titled “Trust no One: The Hunt for the Crypto King.” According to...Read More
The 24-year-old Australian national – Stefan He Qin – will spend the next 90 months in federal prison for defrauding his customers out of $90 million. The courts also ordered him to forfeit nearly $55 million from the embezzled money. The Road to Prison According to a press release from the United States Department of...Read More
Years after halting its services, the saga with BitConnect has taken another turn as the SEC has filed an action against the founder and some of the promoters. The Commission has alleged that they have swiped more than $2 billion from retail investors through an unregistered offering of digital assets. The SEC Files Charges Against...Read More
The Brazilian Federal police exposed a local financial pyramid scheme and confiscated nearly $30 million in cryptocurrencies. The operation marked the largest seizure of digital assets in the history of Brazil. The New Record According to a report by CNN Brazil, the local authorities organized a special mission, called “Operation Kryptos,” to halt a fraudulent...Read More
The authorities in Texas sentenced the CEO of AriseBank – Jared Rice, Sr. – to spend the next five years in federal prison. Apart from the jail time, the criminal would have to restore approximately $4,250,000, which he embezzled from investors throughout his cryptocurrency-related schemes. Justice at Last According to a recent press release from...Read More
Afek Zard – an Israeli resident – will spend the next eight years behind bars for stealing 75,000 DASH coins worth 22 million Shekels or roughly $7 million from a close friend. Apart from the jail time, the man will pay a fine of $1.5 million and compensation to the victim for $80,000. Beware of...Read More
The Securities and Exchange Commission has targeted the Cayman Island-based Blockchain Credit Partners (BCP), along with Gregory Keough and Derek Acree, for selling unregistered securities from February 2020 to February 2021. $30 Million Trough Token Sales According to a recent press release, the executives allegedly used smart contracts to sell two types of tokens that...Read More
The blockchain data provider Chainalysis revealed that Chinese cryptocurrency accounts had sent over $2.2 billion worth of digital assets to addresses tied to criminal activities such as frauds and darknet transactions in a period of around two years. However, large-scale Ponzi schemes are less popular in China than in other countries. Cryptocurrencies Fueled Illegal Operations...Read More
The scale of losses from digital asset scams in Hong Kong surged to record levels as the local police detected 496 such cases in the first six months of this year. Victims parted with over $27 million, with one individual losing nearly $16 million. Crypto Scams in Hong Kong Are Booming According to a recent...Read More
The Securities and Exchange Commission obtained a temporary restraining order on a mother-son duo that embezzled more than $12 million from at least 277 investors. Throughout the years, the 86-year-old woman and her 54-year-old son promised to generate income for their clients via investing in securities and cryptocurrencies but instead swindled the funds for themselves....Read More
The British police confiscated £180 million or about $250 million worth of digital assets as part of a thorough investigation for money laundering. The operation was marked as the largest seizure ever executed in the United Kingdom. Breaking The Record According to a recent Reuters report, the Met’s Economic Crime Command made one of the...Read More
The Swedish resident – Roger Nils-Jonas Karlsson – pleaded guilty to luring at least 3,575 people into a fraudulent Bitcoin investment scheme. According to the investigation, he embezzled more than $16 million from his illegal actions and will spend the next 15 years in federal prison. The Pension Plans Turned out to Be a BTC...Read More
The cybersecurity firm Lookout detected numerous crypto mining scams employing hundreds of fake Android applications. The fraudulent scheme affected at least 93,000 people and stole more than $350,000 from them. Stealing Money Instead of Mining Crypto According to a recent report, the security company Lookout discovered 172 bogus Android applications meant to be used for...Read More
Seoul’s Central Customs has started investigating 33 people involved in illegal overseas cryptocurrency transactions worth 1.69 trillion won or roughly $1.5 billion. The authorities have already fined 15 individuals and started prosecuting 14 of them. The remaining 4 suspects will be a subject of further investigation. IIlegal Transfers for Around $1.5B The daily newspaper in...Read More
A Maltese man is currently facing several charges alleging that he had fraudulently taken about $700,000 worth of crypto from his drinking companion. According to a Tuesday report by a local media outlet, several police officers testified against the suspect during the hearing of the case which took place before magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech. He...Read More
The Brazilian authorities have arrested the president of the Bitcoin Banco Group – Claudio Oliveira. According to them, he was responsible for swiping 7,000 bitcoins from customers worth $250 million today. ‘The Bitcoin King’ Got Busted In a recent online press release, the Brazilian officials reported the arrest of Claudio Oliveira. He was the man...Read More
An ex-Cryptopia staffer admitted he stole nearly NZ$250,000 or about $170,000. He pleaded guilty on two charges – theft by a person in a special relationship and theft of more than NZ$1,000. How Did The Crime Occur? A former employee of the non-functional New Zealand cryptocurrency exchange, Cryptopia, confessed to stealing about $170,000 worth of...Read More
Mark Alexander Hopkins, also known as “Doctor Bitcoin,” pleaded guilty on charges against him of running an illegal cash-to-crypto scheme. After allowing criminals to exchange fiat currencies for bitcoin, he faces imprisonment of up to five years. Texas vs. ‘Doctor Bitcoin’ The Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas – Prerak Shah –...Read More
WhaleFarm, a DeFi project with a fully anonymous team that launched farming days ago, has stolen over $2 million from investors in the latest rug pull in the space. Somewhat expectedly, its native cryptocurrency’s value plummeted by almost 100% in minutes. Launched earlier this month, WhaleFarm started with high promises for investors as it offered...Read More
The cryptocurrency investment company in Cape Town, South Africa – Africrypt – allegedly stole nearly 70,000 bitcoins. The two brothers Ameer and Raees Cajee, who are the founders of the firm, have disappeared. The Biggest Crypto Scam in South Africa Bloomberg reported that the customers of the South African trading venue – Africrypt – became...Read More
British banks are making it increasingly difficult for their customers to get involved with crypto, citing particular concerns related to security and exposure to fraud. According to a report by the British newspaper The Times, TSB bank is reportedly about to ban its customers from buying crypto with funds managed by the bank. TSB is...Read More
Teresa Jackson – a retired teacher from Portishead, Somerset – lost her savings in an online scam. A mysterious ”financial advisor” persuaded her to stake £120,000 in a bitcoin investment scheme advertised on Instagram. Universal Credit Instead of Multiplying Her Money The UK’s national reporting center for fraud and cybercrime sounded a note of caution...Read More
Kais Mohammad – a resident of Orange County – will spend the next 24 months in federal prison for operating an illegal BTC ATM service. The US officials said that the man processed up to $25 million with some of it on behalf of criminal suspects. Behind Bars In 2020 Kais Mohammad, also known as...Read More
Rhonda – an Australian nurse – lost all her savings after being lured into a fake bitcoin investment. The fraudulent scheme stole hundreds of thousands from the devastated Sydney woman just months before her retirement. Dreams of Retirement Were Dashed An Australian nurse revealed in a recent interview for 2GB radio how a cryptocurrency scam...Read More
The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed a lawsuit against five individuals in connection with BitConnect for promoting and selling unregistered securities. BitConnect is a notorious cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme that stole billions of dollars from investors, making it one of the biggest scams in the crypto industry. The SEC alleges that the...Read More
