Crypto

Two biggest cryptocurrency scams detailed — here’s how to avoid

Published

2 years ago

June 26, 2022

Two biggest cryptocurrency scams detailed — here’s how to avoid

When considered one of our college students informed us they have been going to drop out of school in August 2021, it wasn’t the primary time we’d heard of somebody ending their research prematurely.

What was new, although, was the explanation. The coed had change into a sufferer of a cryptocurrency rip-off and had misplaced all their cash – together with a financial institution mortgage – leaving them not simply broke, however in debt. The expertise was financially and psychologically traumatic, to say the least.

This pupil, sadly, shouldn’t be alone. At the moment, there are a whole lot of tens of millions of cryptocurrency homeowners, with estimates predicting additional fast progress. Because the variety of folks proudly owning cryptocurrencies has elevated, so has the variety of rip-off victims.

We research behavioral economics and psychology – and just lately printed a ebook in regards to the rising downside of fraud, scams, and monetary abuse. There are the explanation why cryptocurrency scams are so prevalent. And there are steps you may take to scale back your possibilities of turning into a sufferer.

Crypto takes off

Scams should not a latest phenomenon, with tales about them relationship again to biblical instances. What has essentially modified is the benefit by which scammers can attain tens of millions, if not billions, of people with a press of a button. The web and different applied sciences have merely modified the foundations of the sport, with cryptocurrencies coming to epitomize the forefront of those new cybercrime alternatives.

Cryptocurrencies – that are decentralized, digital currencies that use cryptography to create nameless transactions – have been initially pushed by “cypherpunks,” people involved with privateness. However they’ve expanded to seize the minds and pockets of on a regular basis folks and criminals alike, particularly through the COVID-19 pandemic, when the value of assorted cryptocurrencies shot up and cryptocurrencies turned extra mainstream. Scammers capitalized on their reputation. The pandemic additionally triggered disruption to mainstream enterprise, resulting in larger reliance on alternate options resembling cryptocurrencies.

A January 2022 report by Chainalysis, a blockchain information platform, suggests in 2021 near US$14 billion was scammed from buyers utilizing cryptocurrencies.

South African brothers, Ameer and Raees Cajee, Founders of Africrypt, a cryptocurrency platform have disappeared with $3.6 billion of purchasers’ #Bitcoin pic.twitter.com/ssnkRClxK1
— Africa story Stay (@AfricaStoryLive) June 24, 2021

For instance, in 2021, two brothers from South Africa managed to defraud buyers of $3.6 billion from a cryptocurrency funding platform. In February 2022, the FBI introduced it had arrested a pair who used a pretend cryptocurrency platform to defraud buyers of one other $3.6 billion

You may marvel how they did it.

Faux investments

There are two principal varieties of cryptocurrency scams that have a tendency to focus on completely different populations.

One targets cryptocurrency buyers, who are usually lively merchants holding dangerous portfolios. They’re principally youthful buyers, below 35, who earn excessive incomes, are effectively educated and work in engineering, finance, or IT. In these kinds of frauds, scammers create pretend cash or pretend exchanges.

A latest instance is SQUID, a cryptocurrency coin named after the TV drama “Squid Sport.” After the brand new coin skyrocketed in value, its creators merely disappeared with the cash.

A variation on this rip-off entails attractive buyers to be among the many first to buy a brand new cryptocurrency – a course of known as an preliminary coin providing – with guarantees of enormous and quick returns. However in contrast to the SQUID providing, no cash are ever issued, and would-be buyers are left empty-handed. The truth is, many preliminary coin choices become pretend, however due to the complicated and evolving nature of those new cash and applied sciences, even educated, skilled buyers may be fooled.

As with all dangerous monetary ventures, anybody contemplating shopping for cryptocurrency ought to comply with the age-old recommendation to totally analysis the supply. Who’s behind the providing? What is understood in regards to the firm? Is a white paper, an informational doc issued by an organization outlining the options of its product, obtainable?

Within the SQUID case, one warning signal was that buyers who had purchased the cash have been unable to promote them. The SQUID web site was additionally riddled with grammatical errors, which is typical of many scams.

Shakedown funds

The second fundamental kind of cryptocurrency rip-off merely makes use of cryptocurrency because the fee methodology to switch funds from victims to scammers. All ages and demographics may be targets. These embody ransomware instances, romance scams, pc restore scams, sextortion instances, Ponzi schemes, and the like. Scammers are merely capitalizing on the nameless nature of cryptocurrencies to cover their identities and evade penalties.

Within the latest previous, scammers would request wire transfers or present playing cards to obtain cash – as they’re irreversible, nameless, and untraceable. Nonetheless, such fee strategies do require potential victims to go away their houses, the place they may encounter a 3rd social gathering who can intervene and probably cease them. Crypto, however, may be bought from anyplace at any time.

Certainly, Bitcoin has change into the commonest forex requested in ransomware instances, being demanded in near 98% of instances. In response to the U.Okay. Nationwide Cyber Safety Heart, sextortion scams usually request people to pay in Bitcoin and different cryptocurrencies. Romance scams concentrating on youthful adults are more and more utilizing cryptocurrency as a part of the rip-off.

If somebody is asking you to switch cash to them through cryptocurrency, you need to see a large purple flag.

The Wild West

Within the area of monetary exploitation, extra work has been finished to check and educate aged rip-off victims, due to the excessive ranges of vulnerability on this group. Analysis has recognized widespread traits that make somebody particularly susceptible to rip-off solicitations. They embody variations in cognitive potential, training, risk-taking, and self-control.

In fact, youthful adults will also be susceptible and certainly have gotten victims, too. There’s a clear must broaden training campaigns to incorporate all age teams, together with younger, educated, well-off buyers. We imagine authorities must step up and make use of new strategies of safety. For instance, the laws that at present apply to monetary recommendation and merchandise could possibly be prolonged to the cryptocurrency surroundings. Information scientists additionally want to raised observe and hint fraudulent actions.

Cryptocurrency scams are particularly painful as a result of the likelihood of retrieving misplaced funds is near zero. For now, cryptocurrencies haven’t any oversight. They’re merely the Wild West of the monetary world.

Yaniv Hanoch, Affiliate Professor in Threat Administration, College of Southampton, and Stacey Wooden, Professor of Psychology, Scripps School

This text is republished from The Dialog below a Artistic Commons license. Learn the unique article.

Related Topics:Cryptocurrencies cryptocurrency investor scam scammer

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Crypto

PayPal Introduces Cryptocurrency Trading for US Merchants – Brave New Coin

Published

3 hours ago

September 27, 2024

Press Room

PayPal Introduces Cryptocurrency Trading for US Merchants – Brave New Coin

Global payments giant PayPal will allow U.S. business account holders to buy, sell, and hold cryptocurrencies directly from their accounts.

Global payments giant PayPal has unveiled new features allowing U.S. business account holders to buy, sell, and hold cryptocurrencies directly from their accounts.

The move comes as more business clients seek access to crypto services available to consumers. PayPal also intends to expand its cryptocurrency features into regular business operations. According to the statement, this feature will be unavailable in New York State.

PayPal’s peer-to-peer payments app Venmo initially allowed clients to manage cryptocurrency in 2020. Since then, they have “continuously made significant steps to increase cryptocurrency utilization,” the statement read.

“Business owners have increasingly expressed a desire for the same cryptocurrency capabilities available to consumers. We’re excited to meet that demand by delivering this new offering, empowering them to engage with digital currencies effortlessly,” said Jose Fernandez da Ponte, senior VP of blockchain, cryptocurrency, and digital currency at PayPal.

According to PayPal’s statement, the new features of crypto services for business accounts aim to boost crypto’s real-world utility. The company’s latest move is a response to business owners who have been asking for access to crypto services since the platform launched its consumer-level digital currency services.

“Since we launched the ability for PayPal and Venmo consumers to buy, sell, and hold cryptocurrency in their wallets, we have learned a lot about how they want to use their cryptocurrency,” Fernandez da Ponte added.

PayPal stock has climbed roughly 26% this year, suggesting positive sentiment from investors.

Businesses can Now Transfer Cryptocurrency On-Chain to External Wallets

In addition to the new buying and selling ability, U.S. merchants can now transfer cryptocurrencies to third-party wallets. This new functionality extends the flexibility of digital currency transactions for businesses.

“PayPal business account holders can now send and receive supported cryptocurrency tokens to and from external blockchain addresses,” the company mentioned in its statement.

Last month, Crypto.com teamed up with PayPal to allow US users to make purchases through cryptocurrencies. This alliance expands on earlier joint ventures between the two businesses, which included allowing PayPal to recharge Crypto.com Visa Card. Besides Crypto.com, PayPal’s stablecoin is available within selected exchanges including Coinbase, Bitstamp, and Kraken.

PayPal Cuts Fees by Expanding PYUSD to Solana

In 2023, PayPal launched its own US dollar-denominated stablecoin (PYUSD), in August 2023. PYUSD was issued by a US-regulated entity named Paxos Trust Company. Initially, PYUSD was launched as an ERC-20 token through the Ethereum blockchain.

One limitation of Ethereum-based stablecoins is their high transaction fees. PayPal expanded PYUSD to the Solana network in May 2024 to minimize the cost. This move led to a significant fee reduction (sometimes over 90%). These lower transaction rates on Solana made PYUSD more attractive for regular purchases like coffee or groceries, which boosted the demand for PayPal to introduce crypto services to businesses.

“The Solana network’s speed and scalability make it the ideal blockchain for new payment solutions that are accessible, cost-effective, and instantaneous,” said Sheraz Shere, General Manager of Payments at the Solana Foundation. “Continued adoption from industry participants like PayPal helps realize the next generation of fintech innovation.”

According to BraveNewCoin data, PYUSD’s market capitalization has expanded dramatically since its introduction over a year ago, rising from approximately $45 million in September 2023 to around $700 million at the time of writing.

Crypto

Cryptocurrency exchange network accused of helping Russia hit with sanctions

Published

14 hours ago

September 26, 2024

Press Room

WASHINGTON (AP) — A network of people and virtual currency exchanges associated with harboring Russian cybercrime were hit with sanctions on Thursday, in a government-wide crackdown on cybercrime that could assist Russia ahead of President Joe Biden’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

U.S. Treasury sanctioned alleged Russian hacker Sergey Ivanov and Cryptex — a St. Vincent and Grenadines registered virtual currency exchange operating in Russia. Virtual currency exchanges allow people and businesses to trade cryptocurrencies for other assets, such as conventional dollars or other digital currencies.

Article content

Treasury alleges that Ivanov has laundered hundreds of millions of dollars worth of virtual currency for cyber criminals and darknet marketplace vendors for the last 20 years, including for Timur Shakhmametov, who allegedly created an online marketplace for stolen credit card data and compromised IDs called Joker’s Stash. Ivanov laundered the proceeds from Joker’s Stash, Treasury says.

The State Department is offering a $10 million reward for information that would lead to the arrest and possible conviction of the two men and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Virginia has unsealed an indictment against them.

Biden said in a statement announcing the sanctions Thursday that the U.S. “will continue to raise the costs on Russia for its war in Ukraine and to deprive the Russian defense industrial base of resources.”

He meets with Zelenskyy Thursday to announce a surge in security assistance for Ukraine and other actions meant to assist the war-torn country as Russia continues to invade.

State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller said, “We will continue to use all our tools and authorities to deter and expose these money laundering networks and impose cost on the cyber criminals and support networks. We reiterate our call that Russia must take concrete steps to prevent cyber criminals from freely operating in its jurisdiction.”

U.S officials have taken several actions against Russian cybercriminals since the start of the invasion in February 2022.

Earlier this year, Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned 13 firms — five of which are owned by an already sanctioned person — and two people who have all either helped build or operate blockchain-based services for, or enabled virtual currency payments in, the Russian financial sector, “thus enabling potential sanctions evasion,” according to U.S. Treasury.

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Crypto

Cryptocurrency Prices on September 26: BTC Backtracks To $63K, But WLD Soars 11%

Published

1 day ago

September 26, 2024

Press Room

Cryptocurrency Prices on September 26: BTC Backtracks To K, But WLD Soars 11%

The cryptocurrency prices on September 26 have again raised investor concerns globally as Bitcoin and major altcoins plunged into the red territory. Notably, even the global crypto market cap slipped 1.92% to $2.22 trillion today. Further, the total market volume fell 12.5% to $65.06 billion. However, Worldcoin (WLD) emerged among the day’s top gainers, defying the broader market sentiment.

Here’s a brief report on some of the leading cryptocurrencies by market cap and their price movements today, September 26.

Cryptocurrency Prices Today: BTC, ETH, SOL, & XRP In The Red

While BTC waned to the $63K price level today, ETH price marked a slip below $2,600. Simultaneously, SOL, XRP, and DOGE prices slipped slightly over 1% today, whereas SHIB too defied the broader market trend. So, let’s take a closer look at major coins’ price action today.

Bitcoin Price Today

BTC price traded at $63,450 at press time, up nearly 1.4% in the past 24 hours. The coin’s intraday low and high were $62,669.27 and $64,462.94, underscoring a highly volatile movement for the asset. This volatility comes despite $105.84 million inflows spot Bitcoin ETFs as of September 25. Besides, despite BlackRock’s additional BTC buys, the coin’s trade is turbulent.

Bitcoin’s market cap rested at $1.25 trillion today. Simultaneously, the flagship crypto’s dominance saw a 0.02% decline to 56.24%.

Ethereum Price Today

Whilst, ETH price chart illustrated a nearly 1% dip in value to reach $2,604. The coin’s intraday low and high were recorded as $2,557.72 and $2,646.79, underlining a brief slip below $2,600.

Simultaneously, ETH price dropped despite $43.23 million inflows in spot Ethereum ETFs as of September 25, per Soso value data. Ethereum’s market cap rested at $313.19 billion today. Despite today’s turbulence, the ETH funding rate sparked further bullishness recently, hinting that phenomenal gains loom for the token.

Solana Price Today

The crypto SOL fell over 1.5% in the past 24 hours and is currently trading at $149.18. The coin’s intraday low and high were recorded as $146.87 and $152.89, respectively. Solana’s market cap rested at $69.93 billion today.

XRP Price Today

Simultaneously, against the backdrop of colossal Ripple whale transactions, XRP price today slipped nearly 2% to $0.5819. Its intraday low and high were recorded as $0.5769 and $0.5935, respectively. XRP’s market cap rested at $32.87 billion today.

Meme Coins’ Performance

Dogecoin (DOGE) price fell nearly 1.5% over the past day to reach $0.1089. However, Shiba Inu gained nearly 4% from yesterday to reach $0.00001556.

PEPE and FLOKI prices slipped 3%-4% today, whereas WIF price gained nearly 2%.

Top Cryptocurrency Gainers Prices Today

Worldcoin

WLD price surged 11% in the past 24 hours and is currently trading at $2.06. The crypto’s intraday low and high were recorded as $1.80 and $2.17, respectively.

Injective

INJ price pumped over 4% today and is currently trading at $22.06. The token’s intraday low and high were recorded as $21.25 and $22.86, respectively.

UNUS SED LEO

LEO price jumped 3% over the past day to reach $5.95. The coin’s intraday low and high were $5.68 and $6.01, respectively.

Top Cryptocurrency Losers Prices Today

Fantom

FTM price dipped 7% over the past day to $0.6512. The crypto’s 24-hour low and peak were $0.6416 and $0.6886, respectively.

Conflux

CFX price followed, dropping 7% over the past day to reach $0.1572. The coin’s intraday low and high were $0.1522 and $0.1669, respectively.

Stacks

STX price fell 6% over the past day to reach $1.92. The crypto’s 24-hour low and high were $1.85 and $2.04, respectively.

Besides, the hourly charts sparked further investor speculations on the cryptocurrency prices today, as BTC and ETH gained 0.11% and 0.14%, respectively. Market watchers continue to extensively eye the coins for future price action shifts.