Tagged: scams

Crypto “Godfather” Adam Iza Sentenced to 78 Months in Prison and $23.4M Restitution in Meta Fraud Case

A federal judge in Los Angeles has sentenced Adam Iza, the 26-year-old self-described cryptocurrency figure who called himself “The Godfather,” to 78 months in prison and ordered him to pay $23,402,766 in restitution after he admitted using money from a large Meta (NASDAQ: META) advertising… Read More

Greek Authorities Arrest 17 in Alleged Crypto Pyramid Scheme Tied to AI Trading Claims

Greek authorities have reportedly taken down a suspected cryptocurrency pyramid that investigators say pulled in roughly eight to nine million dollars by telling participants their deposits would double in about fifty days. Officers from the Katerini Crime Prosecution and Investigation Sub-Directorate led a months-long inquiry… Read More

Microsoft’s Official X Account Briefly Hijacked to Push a Clippy Meme Coin

On Thursday, October 2, 2026, attackers briefly seized Microsoft’s (NASDAQ: MSFT) official account on X and used the company’s enormous audience to push a speculative token built around Clippy, the long-retired Office paperclip assistant. The @Microsoft profile, which has more than 13 million followers, was under… Read More

DYORSWAP Users Lose 766 Ethereum (ETH) to Counterfeit GIWA Bridge Using Official Chain ID 9134

Fraudsters drained more than 766 ETH—valued by the community at roughly $2 million—by launching a counterfeit Ethereum Layer 2 that posed as GIWA before the real network ever went live. GIWA is an OP Stack project from Dunamu, the operator of South Korea’s Upbit exchange…. Read More

UK Court Moves Crypto Fraud Victims Closer to Partial Recovery

Investors who lost money in a long-running fake cryptocurrency scheme have taken a meaningful step toward partial reimbursement after a London court issued confiscation orders against the two men already serving prison sentences for the crime. Southwark Crown Court directed Raymondip Bedi to pay £603,404.28… Read More

SEC Alleges that WhatsApp Group Chats and Fake Filings Were Used in $15M Crypto-AI Scams

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has accused four overseas-linked entities of running two overlapping “investment confidence” schemes that used WhatsApp, social media, and fake regulatory credentials to take more than $15 million from retail investors. On September 29, 2026, the agency filed two… Read More

Civil Forfeiture Filed Over Bitcoin (BTC) Traced to Coinbase SMS Scam

Federal prosecutors in Massachusetts have opened a civil forfeiture case aimed at recovering digital assets they say are connected to a 2023 account takeover that drained 33.7 bitcoin from a single Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN) login. According to court papers, a beneficiary of a Massachusetts family trust… Read More

Vietnamese National Charged with Laundering Funds from Crypto Pig Butchering Scam

Federal prosecutors in Missouri have accused a Vietnamese national of helping move digital assets stolen in a large-scale cryptocurrency confidence fraud, a case that highlights how quickly stolen coins can be shuffled off public ledgers. Trung Nguyen Van, 37, faces two money-laundering counts in the… Read More

Data and Security Breaches in France Lead to Surge in Fake Crypto Support Calls : Analysis

French data breaches have coincided with a noticeable increase in phone-based cryptocurrency fraud, according to entrepreneur Owen Simonin, better known as Hasheur. The founder and chief executive of the French platform Meria says he has received multiple reports in recent days of callers posing as… Read More

Iran linked Hackers Use Fake Job Offers to Deliver New Cross-Platform Malware Against Aviation and Fintech Developers

Iran-linked cyber spies have been approaching technology specialists in aviation, aerospace and financial services with fabricated job opportunities that conceal previously unseen malware, according to recent findings from Kaspersky. The cluster, which the Russian firm tracks as Mirage Kitten, has focused on developers and other… Read More

US and UK Aim to Dismantle Crypto Scams and Fraudulent Activities

US and UK based investigators have opened a new chapter in the fight against industrial-scale cryptocurrency fraud. On September 3, 2026, officials from both countries signed a first-of-its-kind memorandum of understanding that commits them to pursue the overseas compounds behind investment and romance scams that… Read More

FinCEN Links $12.7B in Reports to International Crypto Asset Fraud

US Treasury officials have documented a sprawling pattern of suspected cryptocurrency investment fraud, linking roughly $13 billion in reported financial activity to international scam networks that prey on people across the United States. The finding, released on September 3, 2026, comes from the Financial Crimes… Read More

Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) Warns of Generative AI Fueling Networks of Deceptive Deepfake Investment Sites

Australia’s corporate regulator has issued a strong alert about the growing misuse of generative artificial intelligence to construct elaborate webs of fake online content designed to lure people into fraudulent investment schemes. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) reports a sharp increase in scams… Read More

New Arizona Law Delivers Lost Money Back to Crypto ATM Fraud Victims

Arizona residents who fell prey to cryptocurrency ATM scams have begun reclaiming their funds thanks to a state consumer protection measure. Attorney General Kris Mayes recently revealed that her office has assisted 35 individuals in securing complete reimbursements amounting to $171,332. These recoveries stem from… Read More

Hong Kong Authorities Identify Romance Scam Tied to Fake Crypto Trading App

Hong Kong authorities have highlighted a major online romance fraud in which a middle-aged insurance professional lost more than HK$26 million (approximately US$3.3 million) after being drawn into a scheme centered on a bogus cryptocurrency trading application. According to police figures released via the force’s… Read More

Bitcoin ATM Scams Continue to Target Unsuspecting Consumers But Banks Can Take Protective Measures

Elliptic has noted that Crypto ATMs, often called Bitcoin ATMs because of the cryptocurrency’s dominance, provide a straightforward way for people to convert physical cash into digital assets. While these machines serve legitimate customers, they have also become a favored tool for fraudsters. Scams typically… Read More

Hackers Compromise Robinhood CEO’s X Account to Push Fake Vladhood Memecoin

The official X account belonging to Robinhood Markets (NASDAQ: HOOD) Chief Executive Officer Vlad Tenev was reportedly taken over and used to promote a newly created memecoin known as Vladhood, or $VLAD. The unauthorized post framed the token as the official mascot of Robinhood Chain… Read More

UK Finance Fraud Report Highlights Shift in Fraudulent Activities Ecosystem and Need for Adaptation

The latest insights from UK Finance underscore a persistent and evolving challenge in the fight against financial crime. Despite consant efforts by banks and financial institutions to block illicit activities, fraudsters are demonstrating greater sophistication, leading to rising losses and a notable change in tactics…. Read More

UK Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) Confirms APP Fraud Reimbursement Policy Delivers Strong Positive Results

The United Kingdom’s Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) has announced that its mandatory reimbursement rules for authorised push payment (APP) fraud are producing clear overall benefits for consumers and the wider payments sector. Authorized push payment scams occur when individuals are tricked into authorizing transfers directly… Read More

UK’s Starling Bank Introduces AI Enabled Solution to Combat Romance Scams and Other Frauds

Starling Bank has launched a new artificial intelligence tool designed to help customers identify and avoid romance scams, investment fraud, and deepfake phishing attempts. The Scam Intelligence AI-agent, now integrated into the bank’s Starling Assistant, became available to its five million customers on 24 June… Read More

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