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The FBI made a cryptocurrency to catch scammers

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The FBI made a cryptocurrency to catch scammers

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U.S. authorities are cracking down on crypto scammers by turning their own tactics against them. For the first time, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has disclosed that it created a cryptocurrency to bait and capture fraudsters.

The FBI claims the strategy worked, spurring market-manipulation and fraud charges against several crypto companies, including Gotbit, CLS Global, MyTrade, and ZM Quant, as well as 18 individuals. The agency says it seized more than $25 million in crypto, and several trading bots that were allegedly manipulating around 60 cryptocurrencies were shut down.

“What the FBI uncovered in this case is essentially a new twist to old-school financial crime,” said Jodi Cohen, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston division.

As part of “Operation Token Mirrors,” the FBI created an Ethereum-based (ETH) cryptocurrency called NexFundAI Token to target fraudulent token developers, promoters, and market makers. The defendants allegedly lured investors with false claims and engaged in wash trading, a deceptive practice where trades are made to create the illusion of heightened market activity and demand. The manipulation inflated token prices, allowing the scammers to sell their holdings at artificially elevated prices. These market manipulators were unaware that the FBI created the token as part of the sting operation.

“This investigation, the first of its kind, identified numerous fraudsters in the cryptocurrency industry. Wash trading has long been outlawed in the financial markets, and cryptocurrency is no exception,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy. The news comes more than two years after the FBI announced the formation of a cryptocurrency unit within the agency.

The Securities & Exchange Commission has also filed civil complaints against Gotbit, CLS, ZM Quant, Saitama, and other companies, accusing them of securities law violations. NexFundAI token trading has been disabled, but its price was up by over 1,558% when fraudsters were active.

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Discover Smart Crypto Gaming With Fairspin: Rich Bonuses, Top Features and Passive Income Streams – Press release Bitcoin News

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Discover Smart Crypto Gaming With Fairspin: Rich Bonuses, Top Features and Passive Income Streams – Press release Bitcoin News
PRESS RELEASE. Fairspin Casino is revolutionizing the online gaming landscape with its innovative approach to cryptocurrency gambling. Since its inception, Fairspin has become one of the most innovative crypto gaming hubs globally. With over 9,400 options to bet, blockchain transparency, a myriad of lucrative bonuses, and passive income opportunities, the platform represents the best all-in-one […]
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Cryptocurrency exchange introduces privacy coins and decentralized finance solutions to enhance user privacy and digital asset protection.

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Cryptocurrency exchange introduces privacy coins and decentralized finance solutions to enhance user privacy and digital asset protection.

Beta Global Finance, a prominent cryptocurrency exchange, has launched a series of innovative products aimed at improving user privacy and enhancing the security of its digital financial services. These new offerings include advanced privacy coins and decentralized finance (DeFi) solutions, developed to meet the rising demand for secure, private, and efficient digital transactions. With its focus on driving innovation in the global financial ecosystem, Beta Global Finance continues to introduce cutting-edge services to protect users’ digital assets and safeguard sensitive information.

Reinforcing Privacy in Digital Transactions

Founded in 2014, Beta Global Finance has built a strong reputation for providing secure and efficient digital asset trading services across its global platform. With the integration of privacy coins, the exchange has taken a significant step toward ensuring that users can protect their financial transactions and personal data. Privacy coins like Monero and Zcash have been incorporated into the platform, allowing users to perform transactions with enhanced anonymity and confidentiality. These coins utilize advanced technologies such as zero-knowledge proofs and ring signatures, which prevent tracking and ensure that transaction details remain private.

In an increasingly interconnected world, protecting personal information is one of the most pressing concerns for users of digital currencies. Traditional cryptocurrencies often expose transaction data to public scrutiny, leaving sensitive information vulnerable. Privacy coins address this issue by concealing the identities of the parties involved in transactions, offering an additional layer of protection for users. This is particularly valuable for those conducting high-value transactions or operating in regions where privacy is essential.

Expanding Decentralized Finance Offerings

In addition to the introduction of privacy coins, Beta Global Finance has also expanded its decentralized finance services. The company has introduced BetaLend, a decentralized platform that enables users to borrow and lend digital assets without relying on intermediaries, enhancing the efficiency and security of financial transactions. The platform, currently in its testing phase, offers users the opportunity to engage in lending and borrowing activities with greater autonomy and control.

Another significant addition to Beta Global Finance’s portfolio is BetaStake, a staking service that allows users to earn rewards by staking Betacoin, the company’s native cryptocurrency. Users can participate in network governance and generate passive income by contributing to the security and functionality of the network. These DeFi services reflect the growing trend toward decentralized solutions in the digital finance space, offering users more control over their assets and financial interactions.

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Enterprise Solutions and Security Enhancements

Beta Global Finance is also focused on delivering blockchain solutions for enterprises through its proprietary platform, BetaChain Solutions. The company provides consulting and development services to help organizations integrate decentralized technologies into their operations. These solutions are designed to improve transparency and efficiency in areas such as secure data sharing and supply chain management.

Security remains a top priority for Beta Global Finance, with the company implementing multiple layers of protection for its users. The platform’s trading engine is built to process millions of transactions per second, ensuring low-latency and efficient trading. Additionally, the platform utilizes state-of-the-art encryption technologies, including cold wallet storage for safeguarding digital assets, biometric verification, and two-factor authentication (2FA), ensuring users’ funds and data remain secure.

Future Developments and Commitment to Innovation

Looking ahead, Beta Global Finance is preparing to expand its services with the development of BetaWallet and BetaPay. BetaWallet will serve as a secure digital wallet for storing multiple cryptocurrencies, while BetaPay will provide a blockchain-based payment gateway for online and offline merchants. These services are expected to further enhance the company’s offerings and provide users with additional tools for managing and utilizing their digital assets securely.

Beta Global Finance’s continued focus on innovation and security solidifies its position as a leader in the digital finance sector. The introduction of privacy coins, decentralized finance solutions, and enterprise blockchain services underscores the company’s commitment to delivering secure, user-centric solutions. As the digital asset market continues to evolve, Beta Global Finance’s new products reflect its dedication to promoting privacy, security, and efficiency in the global financial ecosystem.

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US charges 18 people, companies with cryptocurrency fraud

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US charges 18 people, companies with cryptocurrency fraud

By Nate Raymond

BOSTON (Reuters) -Four cryptocurrency companies and 14 individuals have been charged in what U.S. prosecutors on Wednesday called the first criminal prosecution of financial services firms for market manipulation and sham trading in the crypto sector.

Federal prosecutors in Boston charged the firms Gotbit, ZM Quant, CLS Global and MyTrade and their leaders and employees in a case that also involved charges of people overseas. Five people have agreed to plead guilty or have already done so.

Prosecutors accused the defendants of engaging in the crypto equivalent of stock market “pump and dump” schemes that involved sham trades to artificially inflate the trading volume of various cryptocurrency tokens before selling them off.

Prosecutors said the largest of the companies involved in the various schemes, Saitama, at one point came to have a market value of $7.5 billion, after its leadership began manipulating the market for its tokens and secretly selling them.

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Its chief executive, Manpreet Kohli, was arrested on Monday in the United Kingdom. Five other current or former employees were also charged, and three have pleaded guilty.

Others charged were Aleksei Andiunin, the chief executive of Gotbit, a cryptocurrency “market maker” who lived in Russia and Portugal. He was charged along with two of his company’s employees in Russia and could not be reached for comment.

Prosecutors said that from 2018 to 2024, Gotbit engaged in a form of market manipulation called “wash trading” on behalf of several cryptocurrency clients, earning tens of millions of dollars at the expense of investors. In wash trading, a financial asset is bought and sold for the express purpose of misleading the market.

Prosecutors cited a 2019 interview Andiunin gave in a YouTube view in which he detailed how his business had developed a code to artificially inflate trading volume for tokens for the purposes of getting them listed on crypto exchanges.

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Three other individuals residing overseas who worked at cryptocurrency “market makers” that prosecutors said advertised market manipulation services to clients were also charged.

They are Liue Zhou, the Chinese founder of MyTrade, who according to court papers has agreed to plead guilty; Baijun Ou of Hong Kong, who worked at ZM Quant, and Andrey Zhorzhes of the United Arab Emirates, an employee of CLS Global.

They could not be immediately reached for comment.

Others charged were Michael Thompson of Virginia, who worked at a cryptocurrency company called VVZZN founded by a former Saitama employee, and Bradley Beatty of Florida, who prosecutors said fraudulently promoted his crypto company, Lillian Finance.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Leslie Adler and David Gregorio)

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