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Investors Lost $10,000 on Average to Russian Crypto Pyramid Finiko, Poll Reveals
13.10.2021
Investors defrauded by the Russia-based cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme Finiko have sent the crypto pyramid an average exceeding 720,000 rubles, or more than $10,000 at current exchange rates. The assessment comes from a survey of victims conducted by a public non-profit organization. Fifth of Finiko...
Cryptocurrencies Have ‘No Intrinsic Value’ Says South African Hedge Fund Guru
4.10.2021
Jean-Pierre Verster, the founder of a South African hedge fund Protea Capital Management, has said he does not believe there is “intrinsic value” in cryptocurrencies. He insists that cryptocurrencies have “elements of a Ponzi scheme” and for that reason, he has...
Law Enforcement in Russia’s Samara Region Investigates 8 Cases of Fraud Related to Finiko
28.9.2021
The investigation into the Russia-based crypto pyramid Finiko is growing with law enforcement officials in Samara region announcing they have launched eight criminal cases against Finiko associates. Authorities are also working to identify more victims of the Ponzi scheme, Russia’s largest...
Court Extends Detention of Finiko Pyramid Founder Doronin and His Right-Hand Man
25.9.2021
A court in Tatarstan has extended the detention of Kirill Doronin, founder of Russia’s largest Ponzi scheme in recent times, Finiko. Doronin will spend at least two more months in custody as authorities fear he could hide from law enforcement. Ilgiz Shakirov, vice-president of the crypto...
Russian Court Confirms Arrest Warrants for 3 Finiko Founders
20.9.2021
Tatarstan’s highest court has rejected appeals against arrest warrants issued for three co-founders of the notorious Finiko crypto pyramid. The top representatives of the Ponzi scheme, accused of large-scale fraud in Russia, are still hiding abroad, media reports reveal. Three Finiko Ponzi...
Russian Police Arrest 2 Women, High-Ranking Members of Finiko Crypto Pyramid
11.9.2021
Law enforcement in the Russian republic of Tatarstan have made new arrests in connection with the crypto Ponzi scheme Finiko. Two women detained this week are believed to have attracted millions of dollars to the pyramid. The now collapsed Finiko lured investors from a number of countries in...
Bid to Have MTI Ponzi Declared Unlawful Scheme Suffers Setback — More Investors Oppose Motion
11.9.2021
A slew of late court filings by lawyers representing Mirror Trading International (MTI) investors has forced a South African judge to postpone the hearing of the liquidators’ application to have the online bitcoin scam declared an illegal business. Concern Over Implications of Declaration...
Top Finiko Crypto Pyramid Executive Arrested in Russia’s Tatarstan
9.9.2021
A high-ranking representative of Russia’s notorious Finiko Ponzi scheme has been arrested in Tatarstan. Ilgiz Shakirov, a businessman from Kazan, rose to the rank of vice president of the crypto pyramid which is believed to have defrauded millions of investors in the Russian Federation...
Eastern Europe Sends Over $800 Million in Crypto to Scams in Single Year, Report Reveals
2.9.2021
Of all funds sent to illicit cryptocurrency addresses from Eastern Europe, scams attract the greatest amount, according to a new report. In the past year alone, crypto addresses based in the region have sent the fraudulent schemes a staggering $815 million in crypto. Eastern Europe Leads by Volume...
Bitconnect promoter pleads guilty over Ponzi scheme, as platform faces new SEC charges
2.9.2021
Former BitConnect promoter Glenn Arcaro has pled guilty to his role in the saga, but the whereabouts of the firm’s founder Satish Kumbhani is unknown
FBI Helps to Train Nigerian Crypto Crime Investigators
29.8.2021
The United States government through the FBI recently helped to run a training exercise whose goal is to enhance the capacity of Nigerian cryptocurrency crime investigators, the U.S. Mission Nigeria (USMN) has said. The exercise saw over 50 Nigerian investigators and prosecutors participate....
Brazilian Court Sell $1.1 Million in Bitcoin Seized by Federal Police
9.8.2021
A Brazilian federal court ordered the sale of a bitcoin stash worth $1.1 million. The sale was conducted by the largest regulated exchange in the country, Mercado Bitcoin. The Federal Police seized the bitcoin sold from Tradergroup, a company that allegedly was operating as a Ponzi scheme, under...
FBI Joins Probe Into Collapsed South African Bitcoin Ponzi Scheme
5.8.2021
In what is seen as a boost for Mirror Trading International (MTI) investors, United States investigators are said to have joined the probe into the collapsed bitcoin scheme. According to a report, the U.S. investigators’ goal for joining this probe is to help “recover the assets...
Two Masterminds in Last Ditch Effort to Stall Liquidation of MTI
4.8.2021
In a last-ditch attempt to stall the sale of Mirror Trading International (MTI) assets, two masterminds of the collapsed bitcoin Ponzi scheme have warned investors that liquidating the investment company will likely result in them being asked to return all withdrawn bitcoins. Opposition to Attempts...
FBI joins Mirror Trading probe in Africa to help recover US investor funds
4.8.2021
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is joining the investigation into one of the largest alleged crypto scams of 2020
South Africa Bitcoin Heist: Court Grants Liquidators Authority to Track Missing Africrypt Investor Funds
3.8.2021
A South African court has granted liquidators of the collapsed bitcoin investment firm Africrypt the powers to track down missing investor funds. Also, as part of the court decision, Africrypt liquidators will now have the authority to sell assets and property belonging to the company....
Kenyan Insurance Executive Calls Cryptocurrencies Ponzi Schemes, Warns Users This Will ‘End in Tears’
2.8.2021
A Kenyan insurance executive, Julius Kipng’etich has compared cryptocurrencies like bitcoin to Ponzi schemes and has urged his countrymen not “touch this.” In addition, Kipng’etich warned those already involved in crypto trading to be prepared for the consequences as this...
Africrypt Bitcoin Heist: Contradicting Reports About the Directors Whereabouts Surface
27.7.2021
In a new twist to the Africrypt saga, two different reports have made contradicting claims about the whereabouts of Raees and Ameer Cajee, the two directors of the collapse bitcoin investment firm. However, both reports suggest the Cajees brothers had planned their escape prior to the alleged...
Nigerian Pop Artist Shills Meme Coin and Price Briefly Doubles — Followers Question Artist’s Motives
22.7.2021
The Nigerian pop artist and celebrity, Davido, recently posted several tweets endorsing ‘rapdoge,’ the so-called “first deflationary meme token fully supported by celebrities & rappers.” In one of the tweets, Davido tells his 9.5 million followers to “buy...
8,000 BTC Belonging to Mirror Trading International Traced, Investors Urged to Lodge Claims
5.7.2021
A total of 8,000 bitcoins belonging to Mirror Trading International (MTI) have been traced while an additional 29,000 bitcoins could soon meet a similar fate. The traced coins, which are valued at over $280 million (4 billion rand), represent a potential breakthrough for beleaguered MTI investors....