ChainCatcher message, the Mantle APAC Hackathon jointly initiated by Mantle, Hackquest, and OpenBuild will officially kick off on November 15, open for registration to developers and blockchain enthusiasts in the Asia-Pacific region.This hackathon features five main themes: Decentralized Finance (DeFi), Infrastructure (Infra), Game Development (Gaming), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Meme, with a prize pool of up to $30,000. Each participating project can apply for project funding of up to 20,000 MNT. In addition, outstanding projects will have the opportunity to receive support from the $200 million fund from Mantle Eco Found and AWS Activate Credits. The winning teams will also receive direct interview opportunities with the HackQuest X Mantle Global Accelerator. During the event, participants will receive technical support from the Mantle expert team, as well as professional feedback from the judging teams of Hackquest and OpenBuild. Shortlisted projects will be showcased online during the Demo Day from December 19 to 22.

ChainCatcher news, according to LookonChain monitoring, the governance token COOK of the Mantle ecosystem project mETH Protocol has increased by 113% in price over the past week; the price of MNT has also risen by 50% in the past week.A certain whale spent 30 mETH (worth $98,000) today to purchase 2.46 million COOK.

ChainCatcher news, according to a report by Poster News, on November 6, the police in Leshan, Sichuan disclosed a case of illegal operation, dismantling a major cross-regional underground bank crime network involving 13 provinces across the country, with an amount involved exceeding 38 billion yuan. Recently, the Leshan Intermediate People's Court made a ruling, sentencing three defendants to fixed-term imprisonment ranging from two years and six months to thirteen years and six months for the crimes of illegal operation and issuing false value-added tax invoices.It is reported that the case involved virtual currency transactions and cross-border fund transfers, with the operational information being complex and mixed, amounting to over 20 million pieces of data. According to the police officers in the special case team, a total of 37 cases have been filed by public security organs nationwide, and 176 criminal suspects have been arrested, successfully dismantling this major cross-regional underground bank crime network involving 13 provinces and an amount exceeding 38 billion yuan. Currently, relevant cases are being further investigated and tried in various places. Among them, the principal offender in this case has been sentenced to thirteen years and six months of fixed-term imprisonment by the Leshan Intermediate People's Court.

ChainCatcher news, Mantle announces that the governance token COOK for the mETH protocol is now open for claiming.The total supply of COOK is 5 billion, with an initial circulating supply of 916 million. The COOK token will be listed on multiple exchanges today at 18:00 Beijing time.

According to ChainCatcher news and L2BEAT data, the current total locked value of the Ethereum Layer 2 network is $36.33 billion, down 4.84% over the past 7 days. The top five in locked value are: Arbitrum One ($13.36 billion, down 2.87% over the past 7 days); Base ($7.53 billion, down 4.75% over the past 7 days); OP Mainnet ($5.9 billion, down 7.68% over the past 7 days); Mantle ($1.35 billion, down 5.84% over the past 7 days); Blast ($1.32 billion, down 8.6% over the past 7 days).

ChainCatcher message, according to official news, OKX Web3 has teamed up with Mantle and several Telegram mini-game project parties to jointly launch an ecological event. Users can connect to multiple Mantle-based mini-games deployed on Telegram through OKX Connect and participate to win rewards totaling approximately $100,000 worth of MNT.Mantle Network is a modular Layer-2 solution designed to enhance the scalability of the Ethereum network. By utilizing Optimistic Rollup technology, Mantle Network efficiently processes more transactions, operates faster, effectively reduces gas fees, and accelerates transaction speed. The OKX Web3 wallet is an industry-leading one-stop Web3 entry point, now supporting over 100 popular public chains, unified across App, plugin, web, and Telegram Mini wallet.

ChainCatcher news, according to the "Hunan Internet Police" WeChat official account, recently, Fuzhou police discovered a case clue during their work that provided fund transfer and payment settlement for online fraud and other gray industry platforms, involving a huge amount of money. The police quickly established a special investigation team to carry out case investigations. After analysis, the police successfully clarified the criminal context and found that the criminal gang operated a fourth-party payment platform, using virtual currency stablecoins to provide fund transfer payments for illegal futures platforms in the gray industry, earning commissions from it. In July 2024, Fuzhou police organized elite forces to carry out a unified net collection operation across various locations, capturing 11 criminal suspects led by a person named Pan. Currently, Pan and the other 11 individuals have been subjected to criminal coercive measures by the public security organs, and the case is under further investigation.

ChainCatcher news, the Hong Kong police have launched an operation called "Code Words" to make arrests, assisted by personnel from the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau in gathering evidence related to online and cryptocurrency transactions. They have dismantled a local scam group involved in cryptocurrency, arresting 27 individuals and defrauding a total of up to 360 million Hong Kong dollars. Superintendent Yiu Wing-kin from the New Territories South Criminal Headquarters stated that the scam group primarily used online romantic relationships to lure victims into investing in cryptocurrency. To facilitate their fraudulent activities, the group employed technology specialists, including graduates from local universities majoring in digital media, for technical support, and collaborated with overseas scammers to set up a fake cryptocurrency platform.

According to ChainCatcher news from the Yixiang Min'an public account, the Xiamen police Xiang'an branch, in conjunction with relevant police units, dismantled an underground money laundering gang that used Sifang payment for cash withdrawal. This gang operated in multiple locations across the country, advertising through chat software to find groups in need of "money laundering." They provided illegal fund payment and settlement services to overseas criminal groups through methods such as cashing out virtual currencies and matched betting, involving a huge amount of money.Currently, 9 criminal suspects have been subjected to criminal coercive measures for suspected illegal business operations and assisting information network criminal activities, and the case is under further investigation.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, the police in Nghe An Province, Vietnam, which borders Laos and the Gulf of Tonkin, have dismantled a Lao scam gang related to fraudulent wire transfers. These scammers specialize in pig butchering and cryptocurrency investment scams. One of the scammers visited Laos in September 2023 and joined the scam gang. In February of this year, they began creating Facebook accounts to lure victims into emotional deception and investment fraud.One of the scammers posed as a woman and gained the trust of a man in Ho Chi Minh City. The victim was ultimately tricked into investing in "Biconomynft," a fake application that promised high returns. Over the course of several months, the scammers stole more than 17.6 billion Vietnamese dong (700,000 USD) from the victim. Initially, the scammers would win the victim's trust by releasing a portion of the investment funds as profits, but once the victim invested more money, the scammers would lock the account and freeze the funds.

ChainCatcher news, according to the Sing Tao Daily, the Criminal Division of the Wong Tai Sin Police District in Hong Kong conducted an enforcement operation codenamed "Joint Fight" from September 19 to 26, successfully dismantling a group that used cryptocurrency for money laundering, arresting 25 individuals involved in 39 fraud cases, with losses exceeding 7 million HKD.The police stated that the 25 arrested individuals (18 men and 7 women, aged 19 to 65) included the mastermind of the group, three key members, and 21 puppet account holders. The police seized more than 20 electronic devices and two cryptocurrency cold wallets.The group had been operating since May 2023, using puppet information to open bank and cryptocurrency exchange accounts, obtaining funds through various types of scams, and converting the money into cryptocurrency via P2P transactions.The 39 fraud cases involved mainly online investment, job-seeking, and fake customer service scams, affecting 39 victims (23 men and 16 women, aged 19 to 72), with the largest single loss amounting to 1.6 million HKD.

ChainCatcher news, 0xGabe, the DeFi growth lead of Mantle Network, proposed to deploy Compound III on the Mantle network. The proposal suggests using Ethena's USDe as the base market and mETH, wETH, and FBTC as collateral assets.

ChainCatcher news, according to reports from Heshun Public Security, the Criminal Investigation Team of Heshun County Public Security Bureau successfully dismantled a criminal gang that specialized in defrauding victims of funds, withdrawing cash, and laundering money using USDT after meticulous investigation.In early September 2024, a local resident Zhao was scammed out of 50,000 yuan by someone impersonating a government official, and the funds were directly withdrawn from a bank in Chongqing. The investigating police officers reviewed a large amount of bank surveillance footage and transaction records, discovering that the suspects used "clients" to purchase cars and apply for loans. After obtaining the "clients'" bank card information, they sent it to foreign scammers via Telegram. Once the victim's defrauded funds were transferred to the "client's" bank account, they falsely claimed to the "client" that cash needed to be withdrawn for the car dealership. After receiving the transferred scam funds from the "client," they immediately converted the involved funds into USDT and transferred them abroad. This gang is linked to over 10 cases in Beijing, Shanghai, Anhui, and other locations.With strong support from the Municipal Bureau's Criminal Investigation Team and the County Bureau's Cybersecurity Team, the investigating officers gradually grasped the complete structure and criminal evidence of the money laundering gang using USDT, and identified the characteristics and activity range of the suspect responsible for withdrawing the scam funds.The investigating officers simultaneously carried out arrest operations in Chongqing, Henan, and other locations, capturing 7 suspects, seizing one involved vehicle, 10 mobile phones, one cash detector, and over 37,000 yuan in cash. The case is still under further investigation.

ChainCatcher news, Argentine tax officials and naval security personnel conducted a joint operation to dismantle a large smuggling ring of Bitcoin mining equipment. In this "major operation," the Argentine Naval Prefecture (PNA) and the Federal Administration of Public Revenue (AFIP) carried out multiple raids, seizing hundreds of high-end mobile phones, graphics cards, and mining components.Officials revealed that the gang used "crypto investments" for money laundering and smuggled in cities such as Mar del Plata and Bahía Blanca. The operation seized over 30 million pesos (approximately 31,000 USD) and 19,000 USD in cash, with four suspects arrested and facing charges related to smuggling and money laundering.

ChainCatcher news, according to L2BEAT data, the current total locked value (TVL) of Ethereum Layer 2 has rebounded to $36.13 billion, with a 7-day increase of 2.87%. The top five locked values are:Arbitrum One ($13.94 billion, 7-day increase of 1.62%);Base ($6.59 billion, 7-day increase of 3.56%);OP Mainnet ($6.12 billion, 7-day increase of 4.38%);Blast ($1.55 billion, 7-day increase of 3.81%);Mantle ($1.25 billion, 7-day increase of 5.75%).

ChainCatcher news, according to a briefing from the Hong Kong police, the Hong Kong police recently launched an enforcement operation codenamed "Double Gun," breaking up a money laundering group related to cryptocurrency in a commercial building in Tsuen Wan, arresting 3 men and 1 woman.The criminal group actively promoted through social media platforms, text messages, and mobile applications, offering enticing deals such as "new member registration discounts" or "cash in, cryptocurrency out." Investigations revealed that the group has collected over 600 million Hong Kong dollars in funds to date.

ChainCatcher news, according to the Legal Daily, the Economic Crime Investigation Team of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau has publicly reported that recently, the police dismantled a gang that organized and led pyramid selling activities under the guise of investing in virtual collectibles. The case involves over a hundred participants in the pyramid scheme, with an amount involved exceeding 2.8 million USD. The police remind that any activity that requires payment of an "entry fee" under the guise of investment, encourages recruitment of new members, and uses the number of people developed as a basis for compensation is a disguise for pyramid schemes. The general public should recognize the essence of pyramid schemes and enhance their awareness of prevention.According to police investigations, the pyramid scheme organization introduced "game rules" to the public through on-site lectures and WeChat group messages, attracting unspecified individuals to recharge and purchase under the pretext of investing in virtual collectibles, thereby earning profits and causing financial losses to many. Through the analysis and connection of police reports across the city, the police believe that this investment project is suspected of organizing and leading pyramid selling activities.Upon investigation, it was found that the organization had a complete member registration rule, and its profit-sharing model was divided into dynamic and static types. After participants recharge, they settle using virtual currency to obtain "static dividends." In addition, members can also obtain "dynamic dividends" by developing downlines, i.e., through the "recruitment" method.The police remind that some criminals turn "digital collectibles" and "virtual currency" into their own "wealth codes," using the concept and technology of the digital economy as a disguise to engage in illegal fundraising and other criminal activities. They attract investments and defraud money by boasting, exaggerating their value, or creating worthless "pseudo-coins." The general public should remain vigilant in their daily lives and avoid falling victim to scams.

ChainCatcher news, the Brazilian Federal Police recently launched "Operation Nifheim," successfully dismantling three criminal organizations that used cryptocurrency for money laundering. The operation took place in Caxias do Sul, São Paulo, Fortaleza, and Brasília, resulting in the issuance of 8 arrest warrants and 19 search and seizure warrants.Since 2021, the involved gangs have laundered over $9.7 billion through cryptocurrency, with funds primarily sourced from drug trafficking and smuggling. The Brazilian Federal Court has frozen $1.58 billion in assets and seized multiple vehicles and real estate. Police revealed that these gangs used shell companies to conceal the source of funds, which were subsequently transferred to locations such as the United States, the UAE, Hong Kong, and China.

ChainCatcher news, according to a report from Reference News Network, the Changhua police announced on the 10th that they have cracked a fraud group led by a man with the surname Lin. This group conducted scams using virtual currency, and after investigation, it was found that 68 people were defrauded, with a total amount of approximately 100 million New Taiwan dollars (1 New Taiwan dollar is about 0.22 Chinese yuan). Nine members of the fraud group have been transferred to the Changhua District Prosecutor's Office for investigation, and two individuals, including Lin, have been approved by the prosecutor to be detained and prohibited from meeting.Zhang Anjin, the deputy captain of the Criminal Investigation Brigade of the Changhua County Police Bureau, stated during a media interview that in September 2023, a man with the surname Zhan went to the police station to report that he had been lured by an online acquaintance to join a social media investment group, where he was required to meet in person to purchase virtual currency with cash, and then transfer the virtual currency to a wallet address provided by customer service personnel of the investment platform. When Mr. Zhan was about to withdraw cash, he was told that he needed to reinvest 10% of the profits as a "tax" in order to withdraw the cash. He realized he had been scammed after losing 3.4 million New Taiwan dollars and reported it to the police.