scam

The cross-chain interoperability platform Relay Protocol has issued a warning, stating that since the launch of the Ethereum Layer 2 network Robinhood Chain based on Arbitrum on July 1, a large number of honeypot scam tokens have emerged. After users purchase these tokens, they automatically disappear from their wallets, and the funds cannot be recovered. Relay Protocol clarified that this is not due to a breach of wallet infrastructure; users' private keys and other assets remain secure, and the malicious logic exists only within the scam token contracts themselves.The typical operation of honeypot tokens allows users to buy in but prevents selling through hard-coded rules, or automatically transfers funds to the attacker's wallet. Some users have reported that a certain token contract uses hidden storage mappings to bypass standard ERC-20 security checks to steal assets.Relay Protocol stated that it is blocking discovered scam tokens and verifying safe tokens, advising users to only trade tokens verified by trusted sources, to verify contract addresses before trading, and to test with small amounts of funds first. The platform pointed out that attracting scammers in the early stages of a new chain launch is not an issue unique to Robinhood Chain; similar situations have occurred with other L1 and L2 chains upon their launch.

According to Cryptopolitan, data released by law enforcement in Texas shows that residents of the state suffered financial losses totaling up to $56.8 million from cryptocurrency ATM scams in the past year. An estimated 1,200 Texas residents have fallen victim to such scams.The typical method of operation for cryptocurrency ATM scams involves scammers impersonating government agencies or company staff over the phone, falsely claiming that the victims are involved in legal issues or owe money, and demanding that victims go to a cryptocurrency ATM to convert cash into cryptocurrency and transfer it to a designated address. Due to the irreversibility of cryptocurrency transactions and a certain degree of anonymity, once the funds are transferred, it is extremely difficult to recover them. Texas has become one of the hardest-hit areas for cryptocurrency ATM scams in the United States, and state regulators are strengthening public education and prevention measures to remind residents to be vigilant against such new types of scams.

The China Payment and Clearing Association has issued a warning to prevent cross-border gambling scams involving virtual currency, aimed at helping the general public enhance their awareness of fraud prevention and their ability to recognize scams.The China Payment and Clearing Association reminds that cross-border gambling results in "ten bets, ten losses." Participating in gambling through virtual currency is more concealed and risky. Engaging in gambling and providing funding for gambling activities is illegal and against regulations. Do not participate in virtual currency gambling transactions, and maintain the bottom line of financial security.

According to The Block, Florida man Christopher Alexander Delgado (34 years old) pleaded guilty to charges of telecommunications fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud, and money laundering. His company Goliath Ventures carried out a Ponzi scheme under the guise of investing in cryptocurrency liquidity pools, raising over $400 million from investors and causing actual losses of at least $250 million.The funds were used to purchase six luxury homes valued between $1.15 million and $8.5 million, multiple Lamborghinis and Rolls-Royces, as well as a large number of Rolex watches, Louis Vuitton bags, and Tiffany custom jewelry. Delgado has agreed to forfeit eight properties, 11 vehicles, 30 watches, over 50 luxury bags, and 29 pieces of jewelry. Each fraud charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, while the money laundering charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reminds victims of the OneCoin international cryptocurrency investment scam that they can apply for compensation through a special program by the Department of Justice (DOJ) before the deadline.This process allows individuals who purchased OneCoin and suffered direct financial losses due to the OneCoin scheme between 2014 and 2019 to submit applications. Victims can submit applications via mail, email, or an online form. However, submitting an application does not guarantee financial compensation.The DOJ stated that global investors in OneCoin have collectively lost over $4 billion.

A New York man was sentenced to 15 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release by a U.S. court for impersonating a cryptocurrency influencer on Telegram and using false staking returns as bait to defraud investors. 39-year-old Noman Saleem pleaded guilty to wire fraud in September 2025.Prosecutors stated that he created multiple fake Telegram accounts impersonating well-known crypto KOLs and attracted thousands of people to join his channels, even setting up paid "VIP sub-channels." Saleem claimed to victims that he could provide "guaranteed returns" through crypto staking or investment opportunities, inducing many to transfer their crypto assets into wallets under his control. However, prosecutors indicated that he did not actually engage in any staking operations and ceased communication after obtaining the funds, taking the victims' assets with him.The case resulted in losses exceeding $1.4 million, and the U.S. government has recovered and seized most of the funds.

According to on-chain analyst ZachXBT, an address related to the $575 million Hashflare investment scam (0xff57...5d22) has transferred 10,600 ETH (approximately $18.5 million) about 3 hours ago after being dormant for 3.5 years.The two Estonian founders of the case, Sergei Potapenko and Ivan Turogin, pleaded guilty in 2025 and forfeited approximately $450 million in assets to the U.S. government. The transferred funds were then laundered through HiFiSwap and Near Intents, crossing from Ethereum to Bitcoin, using two instant exchange platforms. The fund flow addresses include 0xc82f...9d04 and 0x3297...2527.

According to the "Мошеловка" platform, scammers impersonate authorized brokers of the Moscow Exchange through social media, luring users to click phishing links under the pretext of "testing cryptocurrency trading channels," resulting in theft of funds and information. The Moscow Exchange emphasizes that all official trading must be conducted through licensed brokers, and there are no exclusive cryptocurrency purchasing channels for ordinary users.According to data from the Russian IT company "Shard," in 2025, Russian users are expected to lose approximately 234 million rubles due to cryptocurrency phishing, accounting for 62% of the total losses in cryptocurrency assets that year.

"On-chain detective" ZachXBT published a case analysis stating that in a cryptocurrency asset case involving an Indian scam gang, the relevant individuals reported the case to law enforcement after their assets were frozen, drawing attention. The incident began when a user sought help, claiming that approximately 5.73 BTC (about $475,000) was frozen on Changelly in March 2025.Subsequent on-chain analysis revealed that these funds could be traced back to multiple social engineering attacks and theft cases related to Bitcoin ATMs targeting U.S. users, with a total amount involved exceeding $1 million and several elderly victims. The investigation showed that the individual provided multiple changing explanations for the source of the funds, including "loan," "boss transfer," and "investment from 2014-2015," and there were significant contradictions in the evidence chain.More concerning is that this user had previously filed a police report in India in December 2025, attempting to recover the frozen funds (case number 3207-P/2025). Subsequent on-chain evidence collection and email data analysis indicated that they might be a "mule" for transferring funds, with some bank documents inconsistent with their identity information. ZachXBT noted that such cases demonstrate that social engineering attacks and cross-border fund transfers continue to occur and remind users to avoid interacting with funds from suspicious sources to prevent triggering compliance freezes or legal risks.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Rodney "Bitcoin Rodney" Burton, a resident of Miami, Florida, has pleaded guilty in federal court, admitting to participating in a cryptocurrency fraud scheme related to HyperFund, with an amount involved of approximately $1.8 billion.The U.S. Department of Justice stated that the project raised funds from investors through global financing and was used during its operation to promote fund transfers, constituting a large-scale cross-border telecommunications fraud network. Burton faces a maximum of 5 years in federal prison, with sentencing hearings scheduled for July 23. Law enforcement agencies indicated that the case is being jointly investigated by the IRS Criminal Investigation Division and the Department of Homeland Security Investigations.

According to Bloomberg, the U.S. government has seized nearly $9 million in USDT, stating that the related funds can be traced back to an organized fraud network.The U.S. Department of Justice stated that this operation targeted a scam model commonly known as "pig butchering," where the involved gang gained the victims' trust by establishing fake romantic or personal relationships and induced victims to transfer money with fabricated cryptocurrency investment returns.

According to local media in Hong Kong, on June 5, the Hong Kong police received a report from a man who claimed that he was scammed out of 1.6 million USDT by a counterfeit exchange while exchanging virtual currency, which is worth approximately 14 million Hong Kong dollars. After preliminary investigation, the police classified the case as "obtaining property by deception" and handed it over to the 10th team of the Mong Kok District Criminal Investigation Unit for follow-up, with no arrests made yet. The police remind citizens that obtaining property by deception is a serious crime, and upon conviction, the maximum penalty can be imprisonment for fourteen years.

A female tycoon in the domestic cryptocurrency circle encountered an investment scam in the United States, resulting in a loss of over $9.4 million (approximately 60 million yuan). Reports indicate that this individual is a certain Lv, the CEO of a computing power technology company in Southwest China, whose mining pool reportedly accounted for about 9% of the global Bitcoin total computing power at its peak.The report pointed out that two brothers, claiming to have a "Middle Eastern royal family" background, carried out the scam by forging identities. One of them claimed to be a "Middle Eastern royal family son-in-law" and asserted that he controlled funds from Middle Eastern families, international business relations, and resources from local governments in the United States; the other mimicked a character from the American drama "Billions," presenting himself as a hedge fund manager. The two also successfully contacted and influenced Michael Smedley, the chief of staff to the mayor of East Cleveland, Ohio, ultimately inducing Lv to sign a cryptocurrency mining field development contract.

According to The New York Times, Canadian man Trenton Johnston pleaded guilty in a federal court in Florida, admitting to participating in a money laundering conspiracy involving approximately $13 million, with funds sourced from cryptocurrency fraud. Prosecutor documents show that Johnston, over a two-year period, impersonated representatives of Google and cryptocurrency companies to lure victims into giving up their account access, and conspired with accomplices to transfer and hide illegal proceeds for luxury spending, including luxury cars, jewelry, nightclub expenses, and private jet travel.In March 2024, he was pulled over by police for speeding in a Rolls Royce in Miami, where there was a suspected smell of marijuana and illegal drugs in the vehicle, leading to a subsequent investigation that uncovered his long-term involvement in cryptocurrency fraud. The case also revealed that he had scammed a California resident out of approximately 185 bitcoins (worth about $13 million) using social engineering tactics. Data from the FBI indicates that losses related to cryptocurrency theft exceeded $11 billion in 2025, an increase of about 20% year-on-year. Currently, Johnston, as a first-time offender, has reached a plea agreement with prosecutors and is expected to face a prison sentence of 4 to 5 years, after which he will be deported to Canada.

According to the Bangkok Post, Thai police raided a scam base in the Saraphi district of Chiang Mai province, arresting 10 Chinese citizens and seizing 67 mobile phones, 7 iPads, and 13 laptops.

Recently, the Haidian Court in Beijing, China, made a ruling on a fraud case. Retired elderly man Meng, due to his obsession with virtual currency trading and unwillingness to use his pension, disguised himself as a "Central Ministry" staff member in his 20s named Xiao Hong on a short video platform and established an online romantic relationship with a young man. Meng deceived the young man out of over 200,000 yuan by claiming that his family member was ill and urgently needed surgery, and for other reasons such as preparing for an overseas exam.Meng invested all the over 200,000 yuan he defrauded into virtual currency trading and opened a tenfold leverage account. Subsequently, due to a market downturn, he faced liquidation, resulting in a total loss of funds. The Haidian Procuratorate previously prosecuted Meng for fraud, and the Haidian Court ultimately sentenced Meng to 4 years in prison and imposed a fine, while also ordering him to compensate the victim for their economic losses.

According to Decrypt, Geoffrey K. Auyeung, a resident of the Seattle area in Washington State, was sentenced to 5 years in prison for his involvement in a cryptocurrency money laundering scam. Prosecutors stated that he assisted a criminal gang in defrauding victims under the guise of oil and gas investments from 2022 to 2024, with a total amount involved of approximately $97.1 million.Auyeung was responsible for receiving the proceeds of the scam and transferring them to his accomplices by purchasing cryptocurrencies such as BTC, ETH, USDT, and USDC to obscure the flow of funds. Prosecutors pointed out that he continued to contact his accomplices even after being charged and arrested, and received illegal proceeds through his wife's bank account. Investigations revealed that Auyeung earned at least approximately $4 million in commissions, and over $2.3 million in bank deposits, approximately $7.1 million in cryptocurrency, and a car have been seized. Most of the funds were ultimately converted into cryptocurrency through platforms such as Gemini, Bitstamp, and Coinbase before being transferred to Binance.

According to CriptoNoticias, Spanish citizen David Merino was arrested in Dubai for allegedly leading the cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme FX Winning. This scheme is the largest cryptocurrency-related Ponzi scheme in the history of Spanish investigations, involving over 460 million euros and affecting approximately 15,000 investors. Merino operated the scheme from behind the scenes after officially leaving the company in 2021, attracting funds by promising high returns on forex and cryptocurrency investments. Its operating model involved using funds from new investors to pay early investors, and the scheme operated in about 30 countries.Spain typically has 15 to 40 days to submit extradition documents to the UAE. Additionally, FX Winning is also under investigation in the United States and Mexico, with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration believing the scheme involves 100 billion dollars. Merino released a video in March 2026 denying that he retained others' funds and placing the blame on other members of his team. The Spanish National Securities Market Commission has warned since 2021 that FX Winning is unauthorized to provide investment services.

According to The Block, the U.S. SEC has filed a lawsuit in the federal court in Houston, accusing Nathan Fuller, a resident of Cypress, Texas, of operating a cryptocurrency scam project involving up to $12.3 million, which used fraudulent artificial intelligence trading bots to defraud investors.Nathan Fuller told investors that his proprietary AI-based bot could automatically scan cryptocurrency trading platforms, capturing small price gaps through high-frequency arbitrage, and promised returns of 40% to 50% within 30 to 45 days. Some investors were even told they could receive guaranteed returns of over 100% within 21 days.The SEC stated that Nathan Fuller, founder and sole member of Privvy Investments LLC, raised these funds from approximately 150 investors located in nine states and two foreign countries between October 2022 and mid-2024. He also conducted business under the alias "Gateway Digital Investments."It is alleged that only about 3% of the funds were actually used for cryptocurrency trading, while Fuller personally siphoned off at least $6.2 million and paid approximately $5.5 million to early investors in a manner similar to a Ponzi scheme.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced the indictment of Texas resident Nathan Fuller, accusing him of committing fraud through a cryptocurrency trading scheme, raising approximately $12.3 million from about 150 investors. The SEC pointed out that Fuller sold related investment products to investors through entities such as Privvy Investments from October 2022 to mid-2024, claiming to use a self-developed AI trading robot for high-frequency arbitrage trading in cryptocurrency assets.According to the indictment, Fuller promised investors returns of over 40%-50% within 30 to 45 days and claimed that guaranteed returns of over 100% could be achieved in as little as 21 days. The SEC stated that the AI trading robot did not operate as advertised, Fuller misappropriated at least $6.2 million of investor funds for personal expenses, and used approximately $5.5 million for payouts similar to a Ponzi scheme, while misleading investors through forged account statements and false documents.