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FBI working to proactively warn cryptocurrency scam victims amid Bitcoin boom and rising threats

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FBI working to proactively warn cryptocurrency scam victims amid Bitcoin boom and rising threats

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.

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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.

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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.

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Cryptocurrency companies join Silicon Valley’s wave of layoffs! Coinbase lays off 14% of its workforce; CEO says AI is bringing profound change.

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Cryptocurrency companies join Silicon Valley’s wave of layoffs! Coinbase lays off 14% of its workforce; CEO says AI is bringing profound change.

Written by: Dong Jing

Source: Wall Street News

Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the United States, announced layoffs of approximately 14% of its workforce, citing AI as a core driving factor in reshaping its operating model. This is the latest example of a new wave of AI-driven layoffs in Silicon Valley.

Coinbase disclosed in a regulatory filing on Tuesday (May 5) that the layoffs will affect approximately 700 employees, representing more than one-seventh of the company’s nearly 5,000-person team. The company expects to pay approximately $50 million to $60 million in severance pay, severance benefits, and related expenses.

CEO Brian Armstrong posted on social media, “AI is profoundly changing how businesses operate, and we are reshaping Coinbase to lead this new era.” He also cited the continued volatility of the cryptocurrency market as another important reason, stating that the company is “currently in a bear market and needs to adjust its cost structure immediately.”

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This news of layoffs places Coinbase among the tech companies that have recently cut staff citing AI as a reason, further demonstrating the profound impact of AI on the employment structure of the tech industry—especially its direct impact on software engineers.

AI-driven restructuring: smaller teams, more “AI agents”

In his statement, Brian Armstrong outlined Coinbase’s future organizational structure: the company will form smaller teams whose members will be responsible for managing AI agents (digital bots) capable of handling programming tasks, while human managers will also need to “work hand-in-hand with the team.”

Armstrong characterized the current moment as a “turning point,” stating that the biggest risk is inaction. He said the company is “making proactive and conscious adjustments to rebuild Coinbase into a lean, fast, AI-native enterprise,” and that the future company structure will reduce management layers below the CEO and COO to improve decision-making efficiency.

This statement aligns closely with the logic of several tech giants recently—the rapid leap in AI tools’ capabilities in code generation is directly impacting software engineers, a core group in digital business.

Silicon Valley AI Layoff Wave: Coinbase is Not an Isolated Case

Coinbase’s layoffs are part of a recent wave of large-scale workforce reductions in the tech industry, citing AI as a reason.

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In February of this year, fintech company Block laid off about 40% of its employees, affecting approximately 4,000 people, citing rapid AI iteration as the reason.

Last month, Meta announced plans to lay off about 10% of its employees (about 8,000 people) and close another 6,000 open positions, while the company is investing heavily in AI research and development.

Microsoft also offered early retirement plans to a large number of long-term employees last month to support its major investments in AI.

Analysis points out that although various industries are discussing how AI will change the way we work, the technology industry itself is undoubtedly undergoing profound disruption.

Double pressure: AI transformation coupled with a downturn in the crypto market

Coinbase’s restructuring reflects the dual pressures the company faces.

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On the one hand, the rapid evolution of AI technology has prompted management to proactively seek change and accelerate the transformation towards an “AI-native” model; on the other hand, the cyclical fluctuations of the cryptocurrency market have a direct impact on the company’s revenue.

Coinbase has previously stated that its revenue is highly dependent on crypto asset prices and platform trading volume, and its profitability will be significantly pressured during market downturns.

In its statement, Armstrong characterized the layoffs as a proactive rather than reactive measure, emphasizing that the company is using the market downturn to streamline its organization and prepare for the next cycle.

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Triple Win for Bitcoin ETFs With $532M Inflow While Ethereum Adds $61M

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Triple Win for Bitcoin ETFs With 2M Inflow While Ethereum Adds M

Key Takeaways:

  • U.S. bitcoin spot ETFs recorded $532M in net inflows, their third consecutive positive day.
  • U.S. ethereum spot ETFs added $61.29M, signaling institutional demand across both assets.
  • April’s $2.44B in total spot BTC ETF inflows was the strongest monthly figure since October 2025.

Institutional Buyers Are Not Pulling Back

The three-day streak matters beyond the headline number, especially in crypto ETF markets, where multi-day inflow runs signal that institutional buyers are not treating a price move as a short-term trading event but rather as an accumulation opportunity. Three consecutive days of positive flows at these volumes suggests coordinated conviction rather than one-off positioning.

BTC vs. Flows: Visualizing the ETF engine behind Bitcoin’s $80K handle.

ETH ETFs have been slower to attract the kind of sustained institutional flows that bitcoin products have drawn since their January 2024 launch. A session where both product types see significant positive flows points to broad-based institutional appetite rather than bitcoin-only positioning.

At current prices, ether sits well below its all-time highs, giving institutional buyers a larger relative discount than bitcoin. Whether that combination of lower price and growing ETF infrastructure can draw sustained inflows (similar to what BTC experienced in October 2025) is the central question analysts are now watching.

It bears mentioning that sustained ETF inflow streaks historically correlate with price continuation. The pattern has been consistent, wherein institutional buying creates steady demand, reduces available supply on exchanges, and compresses the selling pressure that typically follows sharp price moves. Bitcoin’s cross above $81,000 on Tuesday came directly after this accumulation sequence built over the past fortnight.

On Friday, roughly $630 million in net inflows entered the ETF complex ahead of the weekend, buoyed by Fidelity, which added $19 million into its FBTC product. Similarly, Blackrock’s European bitcoin exchange-traded product (ETP) crossed $1.1 billion in assets under management, holding 14,200 BTC as of May 4.

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If the inflow streak extends to a fourth consecutive day, the technical and fundamental case for continued upward price pressure could strengthen considerably.

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The Cryptocurrency News Everyone Missed: Pepeto Crosses $9 Million While PEPE and Chainlink Wait for a Catalyst

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The Cryptocurrency News Everyone Missed: Pepeto Crosses  Million While PEPE and Chainlink Wait for a Catalyst

Consensus Miami just opened with more than 20,000 leaders in crypto, finance and policy filling the convention center, and the CLARITY Act stablecoin yield compromise reached its final text this month. The cryptocurrency news cycle is stacking events faster than most traders can follow, and the $629 million that poured into Bitcoin ETFs in a single session proves that conviction is climbing. Because Pepeto’s https://pepetoswap.com presale crossed $9 million while the spotlight stayed on BTC, the wallets loading into the entry are betting on a Binance listing that could outperform everything the conference discusses.

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Cryptocurrency News: Consensus Miami Opens as CLARITY Act Advances

Consensus Miami 2026 began this week at the Miami Beach Convention Center with more than 20,000 attendees from across crypto, finance and regulation according to Yahoo Finance. The event lands as Bitcoin holds above $80,500 and the CLARITY Act stablecoin yield text cleared its final Senate compromise according to CoinDesk. The agenda covers institutional adoption, tokenization and exchange oversight, and the cryptocurrency news from this week could shape the second half of 2026 for altcoins and presales.

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Where Pepeto, PEPE and Chainlink Stand in May’s Crypto Rotation

Pepeto

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While Consensus Miami debates the future of regulation and PEPE and Chainlink wait for catalysts, Pepeto’s https://pepetoswap.com coming Binance listing sits at the center of the cryptocurrency news that most traders have not noticed yet. The data supports the attention: more than $9 million flowed into the presale at $0.0000001864 while the broader market dropped, a community of early believers doubled down during that drawdown, and traders expect returns between 100x and 300x once the marketplace opens for live trading. Every fact in that sequence points to one thing: this is where the real money is moving.

Because PepetoSwap runs zero fee trades across every token on the marketplace, small positions hold their value instead of getting chipped away by costs. The risk scorer reviews every contract before any token enters a wallet, so buyers filter out bad projects before they cost a cent. Every line of code behind the Pepeto marketplace cleared a SolidProof audit, and staking at 175% APY pays holders while they wait for the event that changes everything.

For traders tired of cryptocurrency news that moves prices without creating new entries, those tools turn headlines into action. The presale ends once the listing hits, and with traders targeting 100x to 300x from the current entry, the upside from Pepeto overshadows what PEPE or LINK can generate from their current levels.

https://youtu.be/wR3oOlNJj64?si=V7Ekv4mK69tQvNtI

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PEPE

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PEPE trades at $0.0000040 according to CoinMarketCap, sitting just above its 100 day EMA with a 7% gain over the past day. The token needs to clear $0.0000050 to confirm a fresh rally, but even a run to the 200 day average delivers limited gains compared to what a presale entry can multiply into after a single listing event.

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Chainlink

Chainlink holds at $9,47 according to CoinMarketCap, supported by its role connecting real world data to smart contracts. LINK gained ground in April but still trades well below its 2021 high of $52, and even a push to $15 from here delivers a 63% return over months, which the cryptocurrency news cycle barely registers when presale entries multiply faster from a single event.

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Conclusion

The cryptocurrency news this week stacks Consensus Miami, CLARITY Act progress, and a BTC rally past $80,500, but none of those headlines include the presale that quietly built the strongest case in the market. PEPE and Chainlink will ride the wave, but for returns that change a wallet, the debate about which entry leads was settled by the $9 million that already flowed in. Pepeto arrives with a full marketplace, risk scoring tools, and a cofounder whose first project at zero products reached a market cap most tokens dream about, which means more tools logically reaches more. The cryptocurrency news confirms the setup, and entering the Pepeto official website now turns that into a position before the listing draws the line between wallets that acted and everyone who reads about it after.

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Click To Visit Pepeto Website To Enter The Presale: https://pepetoswap.com

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FAQs

What does Consensus Miami mean for crypto?

The event brings 20,000 leaders together during a BTC rally, and cryptocurrency news from this week could shape regulation for the rest of 2026.

How does the CLARITY Act affect traders?

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The stablecoin yield compromise clears a path for regulated returns, boosting confidence and adding stability for presale entries.

Why are wallets loading into Pepeto right now?

More than $9 million entered during fear, the marketplace runs with zero fees, and the Pepeto official website shows a Binance listing approaching.

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Disclaimer:

The information shared in this article is for informational use only and does not constitute financial advice. Cryptocurrency investments are subject to extreme volatility and carry significant risk, including the loss of principal. Always conduct your own research or consult a licensed financial advisor before investing.

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Contact: Dani Bonocci

Website: https://www.tokenwire.io

Phone: +971586738991

SOURCE: Pepeto

Press release distribution

This release was published on openPR.

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