scam

The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) under the FBI in the United States has released data showing that in 2025, IC3 received over 13,400 complaints regarding the use of cryptocurrency kiosks, with losses exceeding $388 million. Compared to 2024, the number of complaints increased by 23%, and the amount of losses increased by 58%. More than half of the complaints involved individuals over the age of 50, with losses exceeding $302 million.Cryptocurrency kiosks are devices or electronic terminals similar to ATMs that allow users to exchange cash and cryptocurrency. Criminals may lure victims into sending money through cryptocurrency kiosks. In typical complaints received by IC3 regarding cryptocurrency kiosks, criminals provide individuals with detailed instructions on how to withdraw money from banks, how to locate kiosks, and how to use the kiosks for deposits and remittances. IC3 warns that the relevant statistics pertain to scam complaints involving cryptocurrency ATMs, and the overall losses may not be solely caused by cryptocurrency ATMs alone.

According to the Hunan Daily, on February 9 at around 8 PM, the public security agency in Baojing, Hunan Province, China, received a report from a victim, Mr. Liu, from another province who had been scammed. He claimed that he was defrauded while purchasing virtual currency USDT online, with a total loss of 100,000 yuan. After receiving the report, the Baojing County Public Security Bureau dispatched a team of elite officers to form a special investigation group and began investigating the case overnight.The investigating officers used various investigative methods to ultimately identify the suspect as Shi. Upon investigation, it was found that the suspect Shi had no fixed income and did not possess qualifications for virtual currency trading. To defraud others, he collected screenshots of others trading coins online, forged false profit records, and impersonated a senior "coin dealer" to gain their trust. Victim Mr. Liu believed him and transferred 100,000 yuan to the account designated by Shi. After receiving the payment, Shi did not deliver the virtual currency; instead, he used part of the funds for gambling and squandered the rest, splitting and hiding the remaining funds.The investigating officers quickly identified Shi's identity and activities by accurately analyzing the flow of funds and comprehensively securing evidence related to the case. They decisively acted on the night of the report and successfully apprehended Shi. The next day, the case was officially filed for investigation. After solving the case, the police consistently adhered to the principle of "solving the case and recovering losses equally," patiently conducted legal policy education, and actively mobilized the suspect's family to cooperate in the restitution, ultimately recovering the full amount of 100,000 yuan involved in the case. On the morning of May 14, the 100,000 yuan of fraudulently obtained funds was fully returned to victim Mr. Liu. Currently, the suspect Shi has been subjected to criminal coercive measures for suspected fraud, and the case is under further investigation.

According to a report by Shangguan News, on May 17, 2026, an elderly man in his 70s, Mr. Gong, from Shuxin Town, Chongming, Shanghai, was deceived by a scammer posing as an "investment mentor" on a short video platform. He was lured into investing in Bitcoin with the bait of "low investment, high returns" and attempted to withdraw 100,000 yuan in cash for transfer at different bank branches twice.After noticing the unusual behavior, the bank teller activated the anti-fraud warning mechanism and coordinated with the police to intervene and dissuade him. The police explained to the elderly man, using real cases, that virtual currency trading and speculation are explicitly prohibited in the country, and that so-called "Bitcoin investments" are all scams. They helped him delete the fraudulent software and block the scammer on WeChat on the spot. After two rounds of patient persuasion from the police and the bank, the elderly man ultimately recognized the scam and gave up the transfer.

The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission issued a notice reminding the public to remain highly vigilant against scams that impersonate the Investor Compensation Fund. These scams often cause victims to suffer secondary losses. Scammers contact individuals who have previously suffered investment losses and falsely claim that the victims are eligible to recover losses from the compensation fund, demanding that they only need to pay an additional "deposit" or "fee" to arrange for the compensation fund to provide "compensation," resulting in many victims being defrauded a second time.The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission reminds the public that the Commission will not contact investors through social media or instant messaging platforms to request payments related to compensation claims.

According to the Times of India, a well-known private doctor in Guntur, India, lost approximately 1.3 billion rupees (about 1.5 million USD) due to a cryptocurrency investment scam. The police have launched an investigation based on the victims' reports and are tracking the flow of related funds and the cybercrime gang.The report states that the scammers promoted high returns on cryptocurrency investments to victims through online platforms and initially displayed false profit data to gain trust. The doctor then continued to invest more and even persuaded friends and family to invest together. It was only when attempting to withdraw funds that the platform began to delay or refuse withdrawals for various reasons. Although the account page still showed significant "profits," the funds could not be withdrawn, and the victims eventually realized they had been scammed.The police suspect that the case involves an organized cross-border cyber fraud group and are currently investigating related bank accounts, digital wallets, and transaction records.

According to Bits.media, the U.S. Department of Justice has announced the initiation of a compensation program for victims of the cryptocurrency mining scam AirBit Club. Founded in 2015, AirBit Club operated a financial pyramid scheme under the guise of cryptocurrency mining and virtual currency trading platforms. U.S. authorities have seized over $400 million in assets for compensation. Victims who previously provided information to the FBI or prosecutors will be contacted by RCB Fund Services. Prosecutors stated that there are no fees for the compensation process.The founder of AirBit Club was charged with money laundering and fraud by the Southern District of New York in August 2020, and the trial concluded in September 2023, with the court ordering the forfeiture of all fraud proceeds, including over 16,000 bitcoins.

According to The Block, Olena Oblamska, a Ukrainian citizen accused of co-founding the crypto investment platform Forsage, was extradited from Thailand to the United States and pleaded not guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in federal court in Portland, Oregon. She is the first of four defendants to appear in a U.S. court, while the other three Russian defendants are still at large.Prosecutors allege that Forsage is a Ponzi scheme based on Ethereum, BNB Chain, and Tron smart contracts, involving approximately $340 million. Blockchain analysis shows that over 80% of Ethereum project investors received less ETH than they deposited, and more than half of the investors received nothing. If convicted, Oblamska faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

According to Protos, Myanmar has proposed introducing the death penalty for criminals who use violent means to coerce victims into participating in cryptocurrency scam centers. According to the draft of the country's Anti-Cyber Fraud Bill, criminals who use violence, torture, illegal arrest and detention, or cruel treatment against others to force them to commit cyber fraud will be sentenced to death.The bill will be submitted to parliament for review in June. In addition, operators of scam centers or perpetrators of cryptocurrency scams will face life imprisonment. Last month, the President of Myanmar reduced all death sentences to life imprisonment.

According to The Crypto Times, the High Court of Himachal Pradesh, India, rejected Abhishek Sharma's bail application. Sharma is one of the key promoters of a large-scale cryptocurrency MLM scam, which is suspected of defrauding over 80,000 investors across India, with estimated losses reaching 500 million rupees and a total investment pool of about 2 billion rupees.The report states that the scam involved several fraudulent crypto platforms such as Korvio, Voscrow, DGT, Hypenext, and A-Global, with investors promised double returns. In the early stages of the project, small returns were paid to attract more participants, but all payments suddenly stopped on December 25, 2021. Subsequently, the promoters directed users to other platforms, ultimately failing to pay any returns.The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had previously conducted searches at eight locations in Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, freezing approximately 12 million rupees in lockers and bank deposits. Investigators stated that the funds in the case were laundered through real estate developers, shell companies, and family bank accounts, with some senior individuals involved having fled to Dubai.

"On-chain detective" ZachXBT posted on platform X, publicly criticizing Tokenlon and imToken, stating that they have become high-risk channels for illegal fund flows and indicating that further actions will be taken against the relevant platforms.It is claimed that most of Tokenlon's trading volume comes from "pig butchering," investment scams, and various illegal market activities, directly stating that its co-founder Ben He should "bear legal responsibility for the related actions." He mentioned that investigations and crackdowns on Tokenlon and the imToken system will continue in the future. Tokenlon lacks genuine trading demand outside of Southeast Asia, with a significant proportion of its on-chain activities related to illegal fund flows, and this issue has noticeably worsened since 2022.In addition, ZachXBT also named several so-called "offshore large trading and aggregation platforms," including Butter Network, HiFiSwap, and Tokenlon, stating that they should be subject to stricter regulation and crackdown due to potential criminal activities.

According to Forbes, a U.S. court sentenced Robert Dunlap, the operator of the cryptocurrency scam Meta-1 Coin, to 23 years in prison. He was accused of defrauding approximately 1,000 investors through a fraudulent cryptocurrency investment project from 2018 to 2023, with the amount involved exceeding $20 million.According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Dunlap claimed that the "Meta-1 Coin" he issued was backed by $44 billion in gold reserves and $1 billion worth of artworks by Picasso, Dali, Van Gogh, etc., and promised a maximum return rate of 224,923%, while providing investors with forged audit documents and insurance materials.Investigations revealed that the so-called gold and art assets did not exist, and the "Meta Exchange" website he built used automated trading bots to create the illusion of profits. The related tokens were never actually issued on-chain. Investor funds were subsequently used to purchase luxury items, including Ferraris.It is worth noting that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission had already filed a civil fraud lawsuit against Dunlap in 2020, but he continued to operate the project until he was criminally charged in 2024. The FBI stated that the case "destroyed the wealth and trust accumulated by many victims over the years."

According to the Los Angeles Times, 22-year-old Evan Tangeman from Newport Beach was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison for money laundering for a young fraud gang.Tangeman admitted that the gang laundered at least $3.5 million, which was obtained by stealing over $263 million in cryptocurrency from investors through social engineering tactics such as impersonating employees of cryptocurrency trading platforms. Tangeman's compensation included luxury sports cars like Lamborghinis and Porsches. Federal agents seized a black 2022 Rolls-Royce Ghost (worth over $300,000) and a Porsche GT3 RS from his home.The gang is referred to as the "crypto kids," consisting of teenagers who used the stolen funds to rent luxury mansions and private jets, purchase luxury goods, and spend up to $500,000 in a single night at nightclubs. Tangeman also instructed others to destroy digital devices after gang members were arrested.

According to Fox News, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has collaborated with law enforcement agencies in Dubai, China, and Thailand to conduct a large-scale multinational joint law enforcement operation, successfully dismantling at least 9 overseas cryptocurrency scam centers, resulting in the arrest of 276 suspects, with the amount involved reaching millions of dollars.In this operation, the U.S. District Court in San Diego has filed federal telecommunications fraud and money laundering charges against 6 suspects, including individuals from Myanmar and Indonesia, whose scam organizations operated under names such as "Sanduo Group" and "Giant Company." Dubai police arrested 275 suspects, while the Royal Thai Police separately apprehended 1 fugitive.The aforementioned scam network employed a "pig butchering" technique, gaining the trust of victims through fabricated friendships or romantic relationships, luring them to transfer funds to fake cryptocurrency investment platforms, and then laundering the money and transferring it to criminal accounts.This operation aligns with the executive order signed by Trump on March 6, 2026, aimed at combating overseas criminal networks that exploit U.S. citizens. The FBI's "Operation Level Up" has notified approximately 9,000 victims, recovering about $562 million in losses for U.S. citizens. The FBI urges victims to report through the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).

According to GMGN monitoring, the price of the Meme coin SCAM on the Solana chain has plummeted 88% in 24 hours, with its market value dropping from a peak of nearly 20 million USD to around 1.43 million USD currently, and a 24-hour trading volume of 33.6 million USD.ChainCatcher reminds users that Meme coins generally have no practical use cases, and their prices are highly volatile, so investment should be approached with caution.

According to The Block, a U.S. court sentenced a woman from Saipan to 71 months in prison for her involvement in a Bitcoin-related fraud scheme that affected multiple elderly victims.The report stated that the defendant induced the victims to invest in Bitcoin under false pretenses by establishing a trusting relationship with them. The case was identified as a fraud scheme targeting multiple individuals.

According to GMGN monitoring, the meme coin Scam Altman (SCAM) on the Solana chain briefly surpassed a market value of 10 million dollars within 8 hours before slightly retreating, currently reported at 9.82 million dollars, with a trading volume of 19.6 million dollars.This morning, Musk posted on X multiple times referring to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman as Scam Altman, accusing him of stealing the results of charitable projects to acquire stocks worth hundreds of billions of dollars for himself.ChainCatcher reminds users that meme coin trading is highly volatile, largely relying on market sentiment and conceptual speculation, and has no actual value or use case; investors should be aware of the risks.

According to Cointelegraph, 22-year-old resident Evan Tangeman from California was sentenced to 70 months in prison on Friday for participating in a crime that involved stealing approximately $263 million in cryptocurrency from victims through social engineering scams and burglary.According to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Tangeman pleaded guilty to related charges in December 2025 and admitted to assisting members of the criminal organization in laundering at least $3.5 million in illegal funds. The DOJ stated that in addition to imprisonment, he was also sentenced to three years of supervised release.

According to an official announcement from the U.S. Department of Justice, the "Fraud Center Strike Force" announced today a series of coordinated actions against Southeast Asian criminal organizations: two Chinese managers, Huang Xingshan and Jiang Wenjie, working at the "Shun Da Fraud Center" in Myanmar, have been indicted for allegedly forcing trafficked laborers to engage in cryptocurrency investment fraud and have been arrested in Thailand; a Telegram channel with over 6,000 followers, used to lure individuals to Cambodia's fraud centers for forced labor, has been shut down; and 503 fraudulent domain names disguised as legitimate investment platforms have been seized.On the financial side, the task force has frozen over $701 million in cryptocurrency suspected of being related to fraud and money laundering, and through "Operation Level Up," notified 8,935 victims, estimating the recovery of potential losses at approximately $563 million. Additionally, the U.S. State Department announced a reward of up to $10 million for information related to the "

According to Reuters, the Greek maritime risk management company MARISKS warned that some shipping companies stranded west of the Strait of Hormuz received messages impersonating Iranian authorities, demanding payment of a "toll fee" in Bitcoin or Tether (USDT). This information is a scam and not officially released by Iran.MARISKS stated that the scam messages claimed that documents must be submitted and evaluated by the "Iranian security department" before determining the cryptocurrency fees. Currently, approximately hundreds of vessels and about 20,000 seafarers are stranded in the Gulf. During a brief opening of the strait on April 18, at least two vessels (including one tanker) were forced to turn back after being fired upon by Iranian ships.