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New York Cracks Down on Crypto Pyramid Schemes Targeting Immigrants
8.6.2024
New York Attorney General Letitia James has sued Novatechfx, AWS Mining, and their founders for orchestrating crypto pyramid schemes that defrauded over 11,000 New Yorkers out of more than a billion dollars in cryptocurrency. These companies targeted vulnerable immigrant communities, particularly...
NYAG Sues 2 Crypto Pyramid Schemes, Promoters Targeting Haitian-Americans in $1B Scam
6.6.2024
New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed suit against two purported crypto companies and their top promoters, a married couple, for allegedly operating two consecutive pyramid schemes that predominantly targeted Haitian immigrants to the U.S
Bank of Russia Detected Over 5,700 Pyramid Schemes in 2023
13.2.2024
The Bank of Russia reported that the number of pyramid schemes and illegal lending providers in Russia rose to over 5,700 in 2023, an increase of 15.5% over the number detected in 2022. Specifically, the number of pyramid schemes detected increased by 46%, relying on the Internet and cryptocurrency...
SEC Warns Crypto Investments Can Be ‘Exceptionally Risky’
11.12.2023
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has renewed its warning that investments in crypto assets can be “exceptionally risky.” The regulator stressed that crypto-related investments “continue to be replete with fraud, including bogus coin offerings, Ponzi and pyramid...
Brazil Committee Recommends Indicting Binance Officials, CZ
12.10.2023
A congressional committee in Brazil has concluded that four Binance officials, among them company CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ), should be indicted. The suggestion follows a probe targeting crypto platforms suspected of operating pyramid schemes and can potentially affect the global crypto company’s...
Ponzi vs. pyramid schemes: What’s the difference?
13.9.2023
Ponzi schemes promise returns generated from the money of future investors, while in pyramid schemes, income flows up through recruitment
OneCoin Co-Founder Karl Greenwood Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison
13.9.2023
U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos also ordered Greenwood to forfeit $300 million, the approximate amount he pocketed from the scheme
$7.8B lost in crypto ponzi and pyramid schemes in 2022: Report
28.6.2023
Illicit activities related to crypto increased across the sector in 2022 despite an overall market downturn
Louisiana Senator Compares Modern Banks to ‘Sophisticated Ponzi Schemes’
7.5.2023
Louisiana Republican senator John Kennedy recently stated in an interview published on Wednesday that the U.S. Federal Reserve may need to increase the federal funds rate to 8-10% to address the country’s inflationary pressures. Kennedy’s remarks come after he criticized the Biden...
How to Stop Forsage, Meta Force and Other Smart Contract Pyramid Schemes
8.8.2022
An SEC indictment notwithstanding, it's not easy to taking down online pyramid schemes, says our columnist. Here are some ideas
Over Half of This Year’s Financial Pyramids in Russia Involved Crypto, Bank of Russia Finds
17.7.2022
A majority of the financial pyramids identified in 2022 used cryptocurrencies in one way or another, Russia’s central bank announced in a new report. Amid Western sanctions, Russian scams have stepped up their activities, often claiming to be licensed by foreign authorities to offer access...
Majority of Russia’s Financial Pyramids in Q1 Linked to Crypto, Scammers Exploit Sanctions Topic
8.5.2022
Many of the financial pyramids identified in Russia during the first quarter of the year have been associated with cryptocurrencies, a top central bank official has revealed. Fraudsters are actively exploiting the hot topics of the day, including the sanctions theme. Pyramids Offer Russian...
Russian Central Bank Tells Domestic Banks to Block Crypto Exchange Transactions
13.9.2021
gal business activities” such as “cryptocurrency exchanges,” which it clumped together in the same group as “online casinos and lotteries,” “financial pyramid schemes” and forex dealers.The central bank said it wanted domestic financial institutions to “block transactions” and “completely sto
Bank of Russia Exposes Nearly 150 Financial Pyramid Scams, Fraudsters Exploit Crypto Craze
30.7.2021
The Central Bank of Russia (CBR) has identified 146 financial pyramid schemes in only six months this year. Fraudsters often lure people with weak financial literacy into investment scams linked to cryptocurrencies or crypto mining operations. Pyramid Schemes Thrive Amid Rising Investment Demand...
8,000 Bitcoin Scam Victims Get Refunds From US Regulator
7.11.2020
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is refunding about 8,000 victims who lost money from investing in two bitcoin scams. The fraudulent schemes promised that investors could turn their cryptocurrency payments of about $100 into $80,000 in monthly income. Bitcoin Pyramid Schemes’ Victims...
Spanish Prosecution Office Investigating Alleged Bitcoin Pyramid Scheme: $1 Billion in Investor Funds Reportedly Missing
7.10.2020
The Spanish Prosecution office says it is investigating Arbistar for allegedly running a bitcoin trading scam with preliminary findings suggesting $1 billion in investors’ funds cannot be accounted for. The disappearance of investor funds has affected 32,000 families that are failing...
Despite Warnings from Regulators, the Ethereum Fueled Pyramid Scheme Forsage Thrives
11.9.2020
While Ethereum has seen a number of benefits from the decentralized finance (defi) movement and initial coin offerings (ICOs), more recently individuals have been leveraging ether for pyramid schemes and matrix cycler programs. One particular scheme crypto enthusiasts are discussing these days...
6 Members of the Multi-Billion Dollar Plustoken Scam Charged With Fraud in China
10.9.2020
Following the arrest of 109 accused members of the $6 billion Ponzi scheme called Plustoken, six alleged members of the team were prosecuted according to a court filing submitted on Monday. The prosecutors say the individuals are “suspected in organizing and leading criminal pyramid...
OneCoin Claims It’s Not a Ponzi or Pyramid Scheme
17.5.2019
The OneCoin project has responded to the suggestion it is a Ponzi or pyramid scheme, arguing it does not fit a narrow definition of either