Connect with us

Crypto

The FBI made a cryptocurrency to catch scammers

Published

on

The FBI made a cryptocurrency to catch scammers

Illustration: franckreporter (Getty Images)

In This Story

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.

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Crypto

Shemaroo Entertainment and PWR Chain Announce Strategic Partnership to Revolutionize India’s Digital Entertainment through Blockchain Innovation – Press release Bitcoin News

Published

on

Shemaroo Entertainment and PWR Chain Announce Strategic Partnership to Revolutionize India’s Digital Entertainment through Blockchain Innovation – Press release Bitcoin News

Shemaroo Entertainment and PWR Chain Announce Strategic Partnership to Revolutionize India’s Digital Entertainment through Blockchain Innovation – Press release Bitcoin News





















Continue Reading

Crypto

WisdomTree launches ETP focused on XRP cryptocurrency

Published

on

WisdomTree launches ETP focused on XRP cryptocurrency

WisdomTree has launched a new cryptocurrency exchange-traded product (ETP), the US asset manager announced today, with a focus on the XRP digital currency.

The new WisdomTree Physical XRP (XRPW), joins the firm’s $1.1bn lineup of physically backed cryptocurrency products, designed to provide European investors with a straightforward, regulated means of investing in digital assets without direct ownership.

The XRP asset, native to the XRP Ledger (XRPL), has carved out a unique role for itself in the digital currency landscape, as a blockchain optimised for cross-border payments and high-speed transactions.

Continue Reading

Crypto

Bitcoin Hits $95K For The First Time Ever, Ethereum, Dogecoin Flat As Trump's Crypto Policy Takes Shape: Top Analyst Describes BTC's Path To $135K – Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust (BTC) Common units of fractional undivided beneficial interest (ARCA:BTC)

Published

on

Bitcoin Hits K For The First Time Ever, Ethereum, Dogecoin Flat As Trump's Crypto Policy Takes Shape: Top Analyst Describes BTC's Path To 5K – Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust (BTC) Common units of fractional undivided beneficial interest (ARCA:BTC)

Bitcoin hit $95,000 for the first time ever, following reports of a cryptocurrency-focused role in the incoming Donald Trump administration.

Cryptocurrency Gains +/- Price (Recorded at 7:45 p.m. ET)
Bitcoin BTC/USD +2.73% $94,794.86
Ethereum ETH/USD
               
-0.98% $3,083.96
Dogecoin DOGE/USD           -0.87% $0.3845

What Happened: The leading cryptocurrency briefly surpassed the never-seen-before level overnight on Wednesday before rebounding.

With the latest uptick, Bitcoin’s weekly gains jumped to nearly 5%, while its market dominance reached 60%. Its returns for November have shot past 33% already, against the historical average of 45%. 

On the contrary, Ethereum, the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, slid below $3,100. It was down over 3.5% over the week.

Bitcoin’s rally followed reports of a dedicated cryptocurrency role in Trump’s administration that would act as a bridge between the White House, Congress, and regulatory agencies like the SEC and CFTC.

Advertisement

Nearly $350 million in leveraged positions were liquidated from the cryptocurrency market in the last 24 hours, with long liquidations accounting for $241 million.

Bitcoin’s Open Interest (OI) surged 6.52% in the last 24 hours, implying heightened speculative interest among derivatives traders.

Most of the new bets favored Bitcoin’s price increase as the number of long positions increased vis-à-vis shorts, according to the Long/Shorts Ratio.

Market sentiment remained in the “Extreme Greed” zone, as per the Cryptocurrency Fear and Greed Index.

Top Gainers (24-Hours)

Advertisement
Cryptocurrency Gains +/- Price (Recorded at 7:45 p.m. ET)
Floki (FLOKI) +14.94% $0.0002822
UNUS SED LEO (LEO) +6.46% $8.47
Tezos (XTZ) +5.35% $1.08

The global cryptocurrency market capitalization stood at $3.12 trillion, following an increase of 1.32% in the last 24 hours.

Stocks traded mixed on Wednesday. The S&P 500 ended the session flat, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite slid 0.11% to close at 18,966.14. The Dow Jones Industrial Average

The Nasdaq Composite lifted 195.66 points, or 1.04%, to end at 18,987.47. The S&P 500 added 0.40% to close at 5,916.98. Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was the outlier, surging 139.53 points, or 0.32%, to end at 43,408.47.

Nvidia Corp. NVDA shares finished 0.76% lower ahead of third-quarter earnings, which eventually turned out to be better than expected.

.See More: Best Cryptocurrency Scanners

Advertisement

Analyst Notes: Noted cryptocurrency analyst Ali Martinez drew a parallel with Bitcoin’s Dec. 2020 trajectory, observing a “nearly identical” Relative Strength Index (RSI).

“If true, BTC will go to $108,000, drop to $99,000, and bounce to $135,000,” Martinez added. 

Another widely-followed analyst, Rekt Capital, stated that Bitcoin dips from the previously broken resistance would mean a “post-breakout retest.”

“These retests aren’t always necessary but BTC’s most recent downside wicking demonstrates that there is at least retesting intent in the price action,” the analyst remarked.

Photo by SvetlanaParnikova on Shutterstock

Read Next:    

Advertisement

Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

Continue Reading

Trending