ChainCatcher news, according to Sina Finance, on the same day that DeepSeek officially clarified that it "has never issued any virtual currency," the prices of some counterfeit DeepSeek tokens rapidly "went to zero." Multiple virtual currencies named "DeepSeek," "DeepSeekAI," "DeepSeekR1," and others have now seen their trading "halted."Among the many fake DeepSeek tokens, there is a fraudulent DeepSeek token named "Seek," which was launched on January 28. Before the crash, its market capitalization had reached 48 million USD.Security company BlockAid reported that 75 fake DeepSeek tokens have been created on the Ethereum and Solana networks, with a total fraud amounting to 420 million RMB. Lawyers warn that the issuers of such virtual currencies may have malicious motives such as confusing the public, making quick profits, and evading regulation. Additionally, these virtual currency projects often have a "small market," making them easy to manipulate, and their value can quickly drop or go to zero. Once investors are "scalped" by the project parties, it becomes difficult to trace the specific responsible individuals or entities.

ChainCatcher news, the People's Court of Tongzhou District, Nantong City, Jiangsu Province, heard a case regarding the conversion of virtual currency investment funds into a loan, rejecting the repayment lawsuit request from the plaintiff Han. Han and Ji were friends, and Ji suggested Han invest in Tether, claiming it could yield high returns. Han purchased 2,000 Tether through a platform, with Ji managing the investment on his behalf.However, Ji did not fulfill his promise, prompting Han to report to the police and reach an agreement with Ji to convert the virtual currency trading relationship into a loan relationship. Ji issued an IOU promising repayment but failed to repay, leading Han to file a lawsuit.The court held that Tether is not legal tender and lacks the characteristics of legal repayment, making the loan agreement invalid. Even though the parties had converted the virtual currency trading into a loan relationship, the court also found that virtual currency investment activities are not protected by law, and the losses should be borne by Han. Ultimately, the court ruled to dismiss Han's lawsuit request.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jiangxi Daily, recently, the Criminal Investigation Team of the Yongfeng County Public Security Bureau in Jiangxi Province, in conjunction with the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Criminal Investigation Detachment, successfully dismantled a money laundering gang that used virtual currency for "electric fraud scoring."Since late January this year, the suspects Liang Mouyong, Zeng Mou, and Zhang Mouyong formed a "electric fraud scoring" team for profit, gradually recruiting others and developing a network. Liang Mouyong was responsible for using "paper**" overseas chat software to contact fraudsters for orders, while Zeng Mou and Zhang Mouyong were responsible for finding card farmers, collecting more than 10 bank accounts through borrowing and inducement, which were used to receive illegal funds. After the illegal funds were received, they were converted into virtual currency to achieve the purpose of money laundering. From January 24 to February 3, the gang transferred over 100,000 yuan.Currently, Liang Mouyong, Zeng Mou, and 6 others have been criminally detained by the public security organs according to the law, while Wen Moubo and Gao Moubing have been administratively punished by the public security organs according to the law. The case is still under further investigation.

ChainCatcher news, according to Sina Finance, on the same day that DeepSeek officially clarified that it "has never issued any virtual currency," the prices of some counterfeit DeepSeek tokens rapidly "went to zero." Multiple virtual currencies named "DeepSeek," "DeepSeekAI," "DeepSeekR1," and others have now seen their trading "halted."Among the many fake DeepSeek tokens, there is a fraudulent DeepSeek token named "Seek," which was launched on January 28. Before the crash, its market value had reached 48 million USD. Security company BlockAid reported that 75 fake DeepSeek tokens have been created on the Ethereum and Solana networks, with a total fraud amounting to 420 million RMB.Lawyers remind that the issuers of such virtual currencies may have malicious motives such as confusing the public, making quick profits, and evading regulation. At the same time, the "market" for these virtual currency projects is very small, making them easy to manipulate, and their value may rapidly decline or go to zero. Once investors are "harvested" by the project parties, it is difficult to trace the specific responsible individuals or entities.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, regarding whether virtual currency has been issued, DeepSeek stated that it has never issued any virtual currency. Please be cautious, make rational investments, and avoid financial losses.

ChainCatcher news, according to livedoor, due to suspected gambling through overseas online casino websites, the Chiba Prefectural Police in Japan transferred 30-year-old table tennis player Takaki Niwa, the bronze medalist in the men's team event at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, to the prosecution on the 29th. It is believed that during a voluntary questioning, he admitted to the relevant charges, stating that he placed bets on the outcomes of sports competitions.In an interview with Kyodo News, Niwa said, "I didn't know this was illegal, and I feel very regretful. I'm sorry to my fans."According to investigators, the Japanese police have attached a request for strict handling of the case. The charges state that in early summer 2023, Niwa accessed an online casino website through a domestic internet connection and used cryptocurrency for gambling.While the Japanese police were cracking down on online casino payment agents, they discovered users nationwide, which led to the exposure of Niwa's involvement.Niwa participated in the 2012 London Olympics at the age of 17 and won a silver medal in the men's team event at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. In the fall of 2022, he announced his retirement but continued to engage in athlete activities within Japan.

ChainCatcher Message: The Chinese Consulate General in Sydney reminds Chinese citizens in Australia to be vigilant against telecommunications network scams. If the other party requests payment through bank transfer, gift cards, or virtual currency, do not comply. Do not click on unfamiliar links, and do not casually disclose sensitive information such as passport numbers, bank account details, addresses, or contact information.

ChainCatcher news, according to the Xiaoxiang Morning Post, on October 16, 2024, two enthusiastic passengers discovered that a fellow passenger was behaving suspiciously on the train and immediately reported it to the train police. The passengers claimed that the man sitting next to them was chatting using a certain app, with content related to virtual currency trading. The railway police subsequently seized over 560,000 yuan in cash from his luggage. Upon inspecting Zeng's phone, it was found that he was contacting others to resell virtual currency at the time of the investigation.This is a case of using a ride-hailing platform to deliver cash for fraud, and then using virtual currency for money laundering. Currently, the case has been handed over to the Gansu police, and a local victim, Gao, has retrieved over 100,000 yuan in cash related to the fraud. The investigation is ongoing.

ChainCatcher news, according to the typical cases of punishing gambling and related crimes published by the Supreme People's Court, the People's Court of Rongchang District, Chongqing, tried the case of defendant Wang Zhi, who operated a casino. He developed agents and gamblers through the "Pomelo Alliance" gambling platform, with a total amount involved reaching 590 million yuan, including over 900 bank card accounts and virtual currency funds. The court sentenced Wang Zhi to four years and five months in prison for the crime of operating a casino and imposed a fine, while also confiscating illegal gains and involved funds.The Supreme People's Court pointed out the typical significance of the case, stating that the people's courts closely cooperate with public security, prosecution, and other departments to implement relevant sealing and freezing measures in accordance with the law, confiscating involved funds amounting to tens of millions of yuan and a large amount of virtual currency.

ChainCatcher news, according to Douyin hot list data, the topic "Trump issues virtual currency, surging 1250% during trading" has entered the Douyin social list TOP2. The related content is "The elected President of the United States, Trump, announced the launch of his personal Meme coin TRUMP on his social media account. After the launch of this Meme coin, the market reacted enthusiastically, with Huobi reporting a surge of up to 1250% after the TRUMP token went live, priced at 21 USDT."

According to ChainCatcher news, the Suqian Court's official WeChat account disclosed a case of online pyramid scheme disguised as an investment in virtual currency financial projects. The criminal suspects created the "ACORNS" online platform, and without any actual business operations, they issued virtual currencies such as "ACO" and promoted these currencies as a means to participate in financial management for high returns. They required members to pay 100 USDT as a threshold to obtain static income. By the time the case was reported, the platform had over three thousand active members and had accumulated nearly 3.16 million USDT in funds.After hearing the case, the Suqian Court sentenced the defendants to prison terms ranging from five years and three months to three years for organizing and leading pyramid scheme activities, and imposed fines ranging from 170,000 to 100,000 yuan.

ChainCatcher news, the Central Political and Legal Work Conference was held in Beijing from the 12th to the 13th. The conference made arrangements to promote comprehensive rule of law and strive to build a higher level of rule of law in China. The conference emphasized the importance of addressing new issues through scientific legislation. For key areas, emerging fields, and foreign-related sectors, the Ministry of Justice should proactively research and propose legislative suggestions. For instance, new issues such as autonomous driving, low-altitude economy, artificial intelligence, virtual currency, and data ownership should be studied to regulate platform behavior through legislation and strengthen the protection of the legitimate rights and interests of new employment groups.

ChainCatcher news, a woman in her 40s was arrested by the police for stealing another person's phone and embezzling virtual currency worth approximately 700 million Korean won.The suspect stole the phone of a man she met in a public social networking (SNS) chat room in Jeju City, and then used personal information obtained in advance to transfer the virtual currency into her own account. The police launched an investigation based on the victim's report and successfully arrested the suspect in an emergency in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province. The suspect confessed that she planned this crime to repay her debts.

ChainCatcher news, Hengnan Public Security has cracked a virtual currency theft case. It was found that the victim, Mr. Peng, found a virtual currency trading channel through social media. During a face-to-face cash transaction after purchasing virtual currency, he was secretly filmed by the criminal gang using a pinhole camera to capture his account login verification code. Subsequently, they used technical means to steal Mr. Peng's account and transfer his assets, ultimately leaving him with nothing. Mr. Peng suffered a total loss of 1.2 million yuan. Currently, 6 criminal suspects have been criminally detained by the public security authorities on suspicion of theft.

ChainCatcher news, at the national procurators' meeting held on January 13, it was emphasized that procuratorial organs will strengthen the crackdown on money laundering crimes and legally combat the illegal transfer of assets abroad using virtual currencies.The meeting stressed the need for a strict crackdown on financial crimes. It will severely punish illegal fundraising, loan fraud, financial falsification, market manipulation, and other financial crimes, maintaining a high-pressure stance against public financial crimes, and striving to solidify the bottom line of financial security and stability. The role of the procuratorial office stationed at the China Securities Regulatory Commission will be leveraged to improve the case referral mechanism for securities crime cases, promoting the stable and healthy development of the capital market. There will be coordinated efforts to prevent and resolve financial risks. Actively promote the establishment of a mechanism for the connection between administrative law enforcement and criminal justice in the financial sector, strengthening the synergy of risk prevention, regulation, and development. (Interface)

ChainCatcher news, the Chengdu court released the top ten typical cases for 2024, which disclosed a fundraising fraud and money laundering case involving the "GUCS" virtual currency and the associated software "Wa11et Pro" APP. The defendants, including Wang, vigorously promoted the economic value and investment prospects of GUCS coin in Chengdu, Deyang, Meishan, and other places, developing downlines in a pyramid scheme manner, resulting in losses of over 1.7 billion yuan for more than 29,000 fundraising participants. Wang was sentenced to life imprisonment, deprived of political rights for life, and ordered to forfeit all personal property.In addition, the Chengdu court also disclosed a case involving a Singapore company suing a Sichuan real estate company over a "mining machine" sales contract dispute, ruling that the Sichuan real estate company must refund the Singapore company the already paid amount of 836,000 USD for the goods, along with shipping and insurance fees of 22,534 USD, while dismissing other claims from the Singapore company.

ChainCatcher news, according to Beijing Business Daily, on January 10, the Ministry of Public Security held a press conference where spokesperson Zhang Ming introduced the telecom network fraud issues related to Myanmar that have garnered attention from various sectors. Since the deployment of a special operation to combat telecom network fraud crimes related to Myanmar in July 2023, the Ministry of Public Security has relied on the China-Myanmar law enforcement security cooperation mechanism, directing police forces in Yunnan, Zhejiang, and other regions to conduct joint operations, fully engaging in case investigations. By the end of 2024, over 53,000 Chinese nationals involved in fraud have been arrested, completely dismantling the notorious "Four Families" criminal group in Kokang, Myanmar. The large-scale telecom fraud parks near our border in northern Myanmar have been eradicated, and the special operation has achieved significant interim results, leading to a substantial decrease in the number of telecom network fraud cases and losses nationwide. Currently, cases involving the "Four Families" criminal group have begun to enter the litigation phase.Despite the significant achievements in combating and managing these issues, the current crime situation remains severe and complex. This includes: an escalating offensive and defensive confrontation, with fraud groups continuously updating and upgrading their criminal tools using new technologies such as blockchain, virtual currency, and AI intelligence.

ChainCatcher news, according to Beijing Business Daily, the Ministry of Public Security announced at a press conference on January 10 that as of the end of 2024, more than 53,000 Chinese criminal suspects involved in telecom fraud from northern Myanmar have been arrested, successfully dismantling the "Four Great Families" criminal group in northern Myanmar's Kokang.The Ministry of Public Security pointed out that although the crackdown has been effective, the crime situation remains severe. Fraud groups are continuously upgrading their criminal tools using new technologies such as blockchain, virtual currency, and AI intelligence. These gangs are well-organized and engage in illegal activities such as app development, traffic promotion, and money laundering through cross-border collaboration.Fraudsters customize scam scripts targeting different age groups, professions, and educational backgrounds, resulting in a wide range of victims. Although the telecom fraud parks near the Chinese border in northern Myanmar have been cleared, there are still numerous fraud dens abroad disguised as "technology parks" and "development zones."

ChainCatcher news, according to Phoenix News, the Hong Kong police recently dismantled a scam group that used deepfake technology to lure others into investing in virtual currencies through social media platforms, involving approximately 34 million HKD.The Hong Kong Police Commercial Crime Bureau arrested 31 individuals, aged between 20 and 34, some of whom claimed to be students and unemployed, based on intelligence last week in two industrial buildings in Kowloon Bay, related to the same scam group, and seized their pre-written "scripts." The group would recruit young people looking to "make quick money," training them to create accounts on dating platforms with fake identities, pretending to have good looks and a luxurious lifestyle, and getting to know individuals from overseas, including Taiwan and East Asia, chatting according to the "script." After understanding the other party's background, they would cater to their interests and develop into online lovers, even using deepfake technology for video calls, subsequently luring the other party to invest in virtual currencies, claiming substantial returns, and asking them to deposit into fake platforms. Once the group received the virtual currency, they would immediately transfer it away and cut off contact with the victims.Hong Kong Police Commercial Crime Bureau Acting Chief Superintendent Kong Hing-fun stated: "They rented two scam centers located next to each other in Kowloon Bay to disperse risks and increase confidentiality. Most importantly, we noticed that these two scam centers operated in two shifts, aiming to continuously attract more victims day and night. Never think that participating in some tasks of a criminal group is just a minor issue; even if you are only assigned to meet victims online without direct contact with virtual currency investment work, it is still illegal."The police stated that this scam group has been operating for at least a year, with criminal profits exceeding 34 million HKD. The mastermind of the scam group, the center's head, and key members, a total of five individuals, have been charged with conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering, and were brought to the Eastern Magistrates' Court on Monday.