BALTIMORE — Bad actors are seeking cryptocurrency in almost every scheme tracked by the FBI. From fraudulent investments to tech support and romance scams, and most recently, a surge in employment scams. And as Bitcoin reaches record highs, Special Agent David Paniwozik with FBI Baltimore sees more people wanting to capitalize on cryptocurrency.
“The fear of missing out. So, they want to get involved, try to make money, and it seems like a quick, easy way to do it,” said SA Paniwozik.
But a major problem is this technology is still unfamiliar to investors, making them more susceptible to scams.
“There is no cap on whether you want to move $1 to hundreds of millions or billions of dollars. You can just seamlessly move that from a wallet controlled in the United States to a wallet controlled overseas, in, you know, a matter of seconds,” SA Paniwozik warned.
Scammers set up their own cryptocurrency exchanges, making you believe your investment has grown exponentially, or they say you must make cryptocurrency payments to “unlock work” that offers high payouts.
The FBI Internet Crime Complaint issued an alert in June about this work-from-home scam.
“It’s this confusing compensation structure that the scammers try to tell them, and it looks like, hey, if I pay $10 to rate this product, I’ll get $15 in return, so then once they do that round, the scammer says, okay, well, you need to deposit more money to get to the next round of work,” said SA Paniwozik.
And when victims go to cash out, they’re told they can’t.
SA Paniwozik has seen a huge spike in reports of employment scams involving cryptocurrency. Reported losses in Maryland went from $32,033 in 2023 to $3.8 million between January and October of this year.
“So you’re looking at about $15,000 to $20,000 per person on average that has fallen victim in Maryland alone to these scams,” said SA Paniwozik.
Cryptocurrency is desired by scammers because transactions are instant and irrevocable, but that doesn’t mean they’re untraceable.
“On the blockchain, we can look up those addresses, and then if we wanted to reverse trace it, we could find, let’s say it’s a certain exchange that paid into this wallet, we can then serve legal processes to say, hey, can you give us a list of all user accounts that paid into this address and possibly contact those victims live and say, hey, you’re currently being the victim of one of these scams,” SA Paniwozik detailed.
It’s a new proactive approach by the FBI as these scams become more prevalent and costly.
According to the FBI’s 2023 Cryptocurrency Fraud Report, cryptocurrency-related complaints only made up around 10 percent of total financial fraud complaints, however, the stolen value accounted for almost 50 percent of total losses.
Click here to see the other 12 Scams of Christmas.
Mar 22, 2026
According to a report from Yahoo Finance, the cryptocurrency market has experienced significant volatility recently. Bitcoin’s value has fallen considerably from a peak recorded late last year, declining by a notable percentage year-to-date and dropping below a key threshold last month. While such digital assets may hold potential, their extreme price fluctuations can rapidly erase substantial gains, leading to sustained skepticism over many years since their inception.
In contrast, companies that demonstrably add value to the global economy are highlighted. ASML (NASDAQ: ASML), based in the Netherlands, is presented as a prime example of such a firm. The company is described as utterly foundational to the technology sector, operating with a unique market position.
ASML is the sole global manufacturer of extreme ultraviolet lithography machines, which are essential for producing the most advanced semiconductor chips. These highly complex machines are extremely large, require specialized transportation, and carry a price tag exceeding several hundred million dollars each. They function by using a precise laser to etch microscopic patterns onto silicon wafers.
Older lithography systems from other manufacturers cannot produce chips at the most advanced scales, such as those measuring seven nanometers or smaller. Consequently, every major semiconductor fabrication company and, by extension, the broader technology industry relies directly or indirectly on ASML’s equipment. This entrenched reliance suggests the company is well-positioned to maintain its dominant role as demand for semiconductors grows.
This report provides a comprehensive view of the semiconductor wafer manufacturing machine industry in the Netherlands, tracking demand, supply, and trade flows across the national value chain. It explains how demand across key channels and end-use segments shapes consumption patterns, while also mapping the role of input availability, production efficiency, and regulatory standards on supply.
Beyond headline metrics, the study benchmarks prices, margins, and trade routes so you can see where value is created and how it moves between domestic suppliers and international partners. The analysis is designed to support strategic planning, market entry, portfolio prioritization, and risk management in the semiconductor wafer manufacturing machine landscape in the Netherlands.
The report combines market sizing with trade intelligence and price analytics for the Netherlands. It covers both historical performance and the forward outlook to 2035, allowing you to compare cycles, structural shifts, and policy impacts.
This report provides a consistent view of market size, trade balance, prices, and per-capita indicators for the Netherlands. The profile highlights demand structure and trade position, enabling benchmarking against regional and global peers.
The analysis is built on a multi-source framework that combines official statistics, trade records, company disclosures, and expert validation. Data are standardized, reconciled, and cross-checked to ensure consistency across time series.
All data are normalized to a common product definition and mapped to a consistent set of codes. This ensures that comparisons across time are aligned and actionable.
The forecast horizon extends to 2035 and is based on a structured model that links semiconductor wafer manufacturing machine demand and supply to macroeconomic indicators, trade patterns, and sector-specific drivers. The model captures both cyclical and structural factors and reflects known policy and technology shifts in the Netherlands.
Each projection is built from national historical patterns and the broader regional context, allowing the report to show where growth is concentrated and where risks are elevated.
Prices are analyzed in detail, including export and import unit values, regional spreads, and changes in trade costs. The report highlights how seasonality, freight rates, exchange rates, and supply disruptions influence pricing and margins.
Key producers, exporters, and distributors are profiled with a focus on their operational scale, geographic footprint, product mix, and market positioning. This helps identify competitive pressure points, partnership opportunities, and routes to differentiation.
This report is designed for manufacturers, distributors, importers, wholesalers, investors, and advisors who need a clear, data-driven picture of semiconductor wafer manufacturing machine dynamics in the Netherlands.
The market size aggregates consumption and trade data, presented in both value and volume terms.
The projections combine historical trends with macroeconomic indicators, trade dynamics, and sector-specific drivers.
Yes, it includes export and import unit values, regional spreads, and a pricing outlook to 2035.
The report benchmarks market size, trade balance, prices, and per-capita indicators for the Netherlands.
Yes, it highlights demand hotspots, trade routes, pricing trends, and competitive context.
Making Data-Driven Decisions to Grow Your Business
A Quick Overview of Market Performance
Understanding the Current State of The Market and its Prospects
Finding New Products to Diversify Your Business
Choosing the Best Countries to Establish Your Sustainable Supply Chain
Choosing the Best Countries to Boost Your Export
The Latest Trends and Insights into The Industry
The Largest Import Supplying Countries
The Largest Destinations for Exports
The Largest Producers on The Market and Their Profiles
The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) CID police registered a case against a Chennai-based cryptocurrency investment firm and its director for defrauding investors by promising high monthly returns.
Investors claimed that TFT Block Chain Services Private Limited, operating under the name Tycoon Fintech, defrauded the public by collecting investments ranging from ₹20 crore to ₹30 crore.
Published – March 21, 2026 07:04 pm IST
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