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, Futu has released the "2025 Hong Kong Individual Investor Survey Report," revealing that virtual currencies are gradually becoming the preferred asset allocation choice for the new generation. Among them, 77% of Generation X virtual currency investors (born in 1980 or earlier) are optimistic about the long-term appreciation potential of Bitcoin.Generation Z (born between 1997 and 2006) places greater emphasis on the trading convenience and security of virtual currency investments, believing that holding "two Bitcoins" provides more security compared to the "million-dollar down payment" requirement for property. The proportion of those optimistic about the prospects of virtual assets is three times that of those optimistic about real estate.Related data also shows that the top five sectors with the highest trading frequency in 2024 are AI technology, new energy, popular WSB concept stocks, virtual currency concept stocks, and health and medicine.

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 Web3 Working Group of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan's Digital Society Promotion Headquarters held its second study session, focusing on the review of regulations related to crypto assets (virtual currencies).The meeting discussed the different regulatory approaches to crypto assets compared to traditional securities and explored the direction for future regulatory revisions. Participants believed that, in addition to investor protection, it is necessary to consider the coordination with overseas regulations and the smoothness of transactions, suggesting further improvements to disclosure regulations, market access, and conduct standards.In addition, some experts pointed out that the existing regulatory framework should be abandoned, and more detailed regulatory discussions should be conducted based on the characteristics of crypto assets.

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, the South Korean court has made a ruling against a gang involved in illegal foreign exchange transfers. Four members of the gang were sentenced for illegally transferring approximately 400 billion won in foreign exchange by exploiting price differences in virtual currencies. The main culprit A (43 years old) was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison, while the other two defendants received sentences of 2 years and 2 months and 2 years, respectively. One defendant was sentenced to 1 year and 6 months, with a 2-year probation and 160 hours of community service.The court stated that the gang profited by having Japanese investors commission the purchase of virtual currencies in Japan and reselling them in South Korea, taking advantage of the relatively lower prices of virtual currencies in Korea. The total amount of foreign exchange they illegally transferred was approximately 400 billion won, with illegal gains of about 27 billion won.The court found that the defendants obstructed bank remittance operations through means such as forging invoices and contracts, indicating a strong organizational nature and severe nature of the criminal behavior.

ChainCatcher news, according to Caixin, 2024 is a year of dual bull markets for Chinese stocks and bonds. Virtual currencies and U.S. tech stocks have performed remarkably well among global assets. A strong dollar has generally put pressure on global exchange rates.In terms of global market performance in 2024, the first tier mainly consists of scarce assets: cocoa (NYBOT futures price) rose by 169.36% throughout the year, Bitcoin (BTC) increased by 133.83%, and FAAMNG (the six major U.S. tech giants: Facebook; Amazon; Apple; Microsoft; Netflix; Google) rose by 60.77%.Additionally, Ethereum rose by 53.41% over the year, NYMEX natural gas had an annual increase of 45.49%, and the Nasdaq index achieved a rise of 30.78%, with all these assets having annual increases exceeding 30%.

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.

ChainCatcher news, the Cyberspace Administration of Hebei announced the results of the "Clear and Bright · Clean Internet" network ecological governance in Hebei Province for December 2024. The provincial cyberspace system investigated and dealt with 137 illegal websites; 31 accounts of internet users were penalized; among them, websites such as "Hui Shijie" and "Ai Quan She," which provided download links for mobile applications for virtual currency trading platforms, were ordered to rectify and remove illegal links according to the law.

ChainCatcher news, according to Phoenix Network, the Public Security Bureau of Neijiang City, Sichuan Province held a press conference announcing that the Neijiang police recently cracked a case of illegally obtaining computer system data, which was supervised by the Ministry of Public Security, and arrested 5 people. It is reported that the gang consists of high-end "hackers" engaged in network technology, one of whom is an employee of a large cybersecurity company. They obtained citizens' personal information by writing hacking programs to gain unauthorized access, and ultimately sold citizens' personal information on overseas websites for virtual currency, with prices reaching up to 5 yuan per piece.According to police investigations, the case involves 57 government and enterprise websites, and the gang stole 208 million pieces of citizens' personal information, including flight trajectories, diplomas, and addresses, with illegal profits exceeding 6.4 million yuan. The special investigation team seized illegal gains of over 5.6 million yuan, confiscated more than 30 sets of core code for hacking tools written by the suspects, over 10 hacking virtual machine penetration attack systems, and 270 penetration scripts. The case has now been transferred for prosecution and is currently under trial.

ChainCatcher news, according to Xiamen Evening News, a man stole virtual currency from others and cashed out over 1.6 million yuan after incurring losses while helping a friend invest in futures. Recently, the Huli District Procuratorate in Xiamen, China, reviewed and prosecuted this theft case.In September 2021, the defendant Chen met the victim Hong through a friend's introduction. Hong entrusted Chen to help operate virtual currency investments and provided his account and login password.At the end of September 2022, Chen fabricated a story about the account being offline to trick Hong into providing various verification codes. He then successfully changed the account's login password and replaced the linked email with his own. At this point, Hong's account was under Chen's control.After that, Chen repeatedly used the excuse of the account being offline to deceive Hong into giving real-time verification codes, continuously transferring the virtual currency from Hong's account to his own. He then quickly sold these virtual currencies for a profit of over 1.6 million yuan, using all of it to repay personal debts.In May 2024, Chen voluntarily went to the police station to confess and truthfully admitted to his crimes.The Huli District Procuratorate filed a public prosecution against Chen for theft. According to Article 264 of the Criminal Law, theft of public and private property, with particularly large amounts or other particularly serious circumstances, is punishable by more than ten years of fixed-term imprisonment or life imprisonment, and may also involve fines or confiscation of property.

ChainCatcher news, recently, the Yangpu police in Shanghai successfully solved a virtual currency contract trading fraud case after meticulous investigation, dismantling a fraud gang of 16 people, with an involved amount of over 300,000 yuan.During the interrogation, the suspects confessed to their criminal activities without hesitation. Based on the preliminary investigation, the special investigation team fully grasped the modus operandi of the criminal gang, which involved three individuals, Yang and Yu, posing as "investment masters" to infiltrate various virtual currency investment group chats, directing those interested in investing to a fabricated trading platform they set up. They exploited the victims' psychology of wanting to "make quick money" by inducing them to conduct multiple transactions to earn high fees. Subsequently, they misled the victims into raising their investment "profit and loss ratio," making them mistakenly believe that their investment failures were due to their own misjudgment of the market, thereby defrauding them of their money.Currently, Yang and Yu, along with 16 other suspects, have been subjected to criminal coercive measures by the Yangpu police for suspected fraud, and the case is under further investigation. (Xinmin Evening News)

ChainCatcher news, according to the announcement from the Supreme People's Court, the results of the major topics for judicial research in 2024 have been published, among which Topic Seven is "Research on the Disposal of Virtual Currencies Involved in Cases." The topic is divided into three research groups:• Research Group 1: Lin Wei from Southwest University of Political Science and Law, Wang Zhongwei from the Chongqing High People's Court, Yuan Shengqiang from the Chongqing Fifth Intermediate People's Court (Topic Number: GFZDKT2024B02-1)• Research Group 2: Xue Chunjiang from the Beijing Third Intermediate People's Court, Yang Dong from Renmin University of China (Topic Number: GFZDKT2024B02-2)• Research Group 3: Zhan Xuwei from the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court in Guangdong Province, Wu Xuebin from Shenzhen University (Topic Number: GFZDKT2024B02-3)