Tagged: fraud

Two Nigerian Nationals Indicted in Portland for Bitcoin Fraud

Two men in Nigeria have been charged in Oregon with 13 counts relating to an online scheme they allegedly executed to defraud victims out of more than 50 Bitcoins. Oregon prosecutors allege the scheme claimed three victims in the US. According to a release from… Read More

Tether Responds to New York AG Investigation, Claims “Lost” Funds “Seized and Safeguarded”

The PR team at cryptocurrency company Tether has vigorously denied allegations included in a New York court order claiming the company “lost” $850 million USD in customer funds to a Panamanian entity called Crypto Capital then “co-mingled” customer and company funds to cover the loss…. Read More

New York Attorney General Issues Court Order Alleging Fraud Pertaining to Bitfinex and Tether. Cover Up of $850 Million Loss is Claimed.

New York Attorney General Letitia James has obtained a court order against crypto exchange Bitfinex ( iFinex Inc.) and stablecoin Tether alleging violations of New York law in connection with “ongoing activities that may have defrauded New York investors that trade in virtual or cryptocurrency…. Read More

Israeli Accused of Stealing $2 Million in Crypto From Friend and Mentor

An Israeli named Afik Wore has been indicted for allegedly stealing 6.2 million shekels ($1.7 million USD) worth of cryptocurrency from a friend who taught him how to trade it, News 1 reports. According to the outlet, Eliat resident Alexei Yaromenko, a cryptocurrency trader since 2013,… Read More

Marketplace Lending Platform Prosper Settles Fraud Charges Brought by SEC, Pays $3 Million Penalty

Leading marketplace lending platform Prosper has settled fraud charges for misstating returns, according to a release from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).  Without admitting or denying the allegations, Prosper has consented to an SEC order finding it violated an anti-fraud provision of the Securities… Read More

Prolific Romanian Cryptojackers, ID Thieves and Fraudsters Convicted in Ohio

Two of three Romanian cybercriminals who targeted American citizens and businesses from abroad in elaborate cybercrime schemes initiated in 2007 have been convicted in Ohio. Bogdan Nicolescu, 36, and Radu Miclaus, 37, will be sentenced August 14th after being found guilty of 21 counts of… Read More

OneCoin Affiliates Charged with Fraud in Singapore

Two unnamed individuals were charged with fraud April 10th for their involvement with OneCoin, a multibillion-dollar global cryptocurrency pyramid scheme of  started by a brother and sister team in Bulgaria. Business Times reports that an investigation by the Singapore Commercial Affairs Department and the Singapore Police… Read More

Investigation Questions the Nature and Soundness of Wirecard Asian Partnerships

An on-the-ground investigation by London news outlet Financial Times has shown that several payment referral partnerships maintained by German payments giant Wirecard in the Philippines are either insubstantial or dubious. On Friday, it was revealed that a top accounting executive with the firm had departed…. Read More

Ailing Accused Bitcoin Ponzi Kingpin Granted Interim Bail in India

Amit Bhardwaj, accused of masterminding an elaborate Bitcoin-based $300 million Ponzi scam that spanned 90 countries, has been granted interim bail in India, Inc42 reports. Bhardwaj’s lawyer, Deepak Prakash told the outlet, “… Amit Bhardwaj has been granted interim bail based on…health ground(s).” The accused reportedly… Read More

SEC Charges Founder of Payment Fintech Jumio with Fraud. Former CEO, Daniel Mattes Pays $17 Million Settlement

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has charged the founder and former chief executive mobile payment Fintech Jumio with defrauding investors. The former CEO of Jumio, Daniel Mattes, has agreed to pay more than $17 million to settle the charges. Mattes is also a “business… Read More

Hacker Claims to Have Stolen 200 Bitcoins From Dark Net Sites via “TypoSquatting”

A hacker has been bragging on the Dark Net that he or she siphoned 200 bitcoins ($760 000 USD) from Dark Net websites by using an impersonation scam known as “typo-squatting,” cybersecurity firm Digital Shadows reports. On the Dark Net, “Typo-squatting” involves subtle alphanumeric bait-and-switch… Read More

Crypto Trader and CabbageTech Founder Indicted for Nine Counts of Fraud in New York

Patrick McDonnell, 46, also known as “Jason Flack,” has been charged with 9 counts of wire fraud in the State of New York. McDonnell operated CabbageTech Crop – a company that was doing business as Coin Drop Markets. A release from the US Attorney’s Office… Read More

Swiss Financial Regulator FINMA Reports Illegal Activity by Envion AG & Initial Coin Offering

The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) has issued a release stating it has found that Envion AG “unlawfully received public deposits on a commercial basis from at least 37,000 investors.” Envion is currently in the process of being liquidated by the Zug bankruptcy authority…. Read More

SEC Charges Direct Lending Investments with Multi Year Fraud

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has charged Direct Lending Investments (DLI), LLC with “a multi-year fraud.” According to the SEC, the ongoing fraud resulted in approximately $11 million in “over-charges of management and performance fees to its private funds, as well as the inflation… Read More

AriseCoin Founder Pleads Guilty in $4 Million Crypto Fraud Case

Jared Rice Sr, creator of “AriseBank” and the associated cryptocurrency/token “AriseCoin,” has pleaded guilty to one count of securities fraud in Texas, Dallas News reports. The plea reportedly involved Rice admitting that he lied to investors when he raised money for his project. These lies… Read More

Hacker Sells Elite College Admissions Files for Bitcoin

A hacker has attempted to sell hacked elite college admissions files to teenaged hopefuls waiting to find out if they have made it into their colleges of choice, Consumer Affairs reports. The hacker originally offered to sell files for 1 Bitcoin ($3800 USD)  in a… Read More

OneCoin: Huge Crypto Ponzi Perp Konstantin Ignatov is Arrested in LA as Feds Close In. “If It Sounds Too Good to Be True, It Probably Is”

On Friday, the Manhattan U.S. Attorney, part of the Department of Justice, issued a statement regarding ongoing Ponzi scam OneCoin stating that alleged perpetrator Konstantin Ignatov had been arrested at the Los Angeles airport. Ignatov was hit with charges of wire fraud conspiracy regarding the… Read More

New South Korean Task Force to Tackle 800% Reported Increase in Cryptocurrency Crime

The South Korean Supreme Prosecutors’ Office has created a task force dedicated to responding to a reported 800% increase in cryptocurrency crime complaints, South Korean news agency Naver reports. The task force, which will reportedly be, “packed…with professional investigators, prosecutors, and investigators as team heads,” was… Read More

Consulting Firm PwC Says Crypto Increasingly Facilitating Crime and Not “Decentralized” Economy

In its latest “Strategic Alliance Bulletin,” auditing firm PwC (formerly-known-as PricewaterhouseCoopers) has countered the sanguine narratives in crypto by stating unequivocally: “Cryptocurrency has increasingly been associated with serving criminal and nefarious purposes, rather than supporting the decentralisation of ‘traditional’ currency.” That said, the company does… Read More

“Top 21” EOS Staker Fails to Update Blacklist, $7.7 Million Stolen

Games.eos, a “Top 21” staker (“block producer” or “most efficient miner”) of the newer cryptocurrency network EOS, failed to update their blacklist of hacked EOS accounts recently, and left the door open for a hacker to drain $7.7 million USD in EOS tokens from a… Read More

Send this to a friend