BNB Chain, a blockchain network created by crypto exchange Binance, identified over 50 on-chain projects that pose a significant risk to the users. A mix of crypto spin-offs resembling Dogecoin (DOGE) and Binance and others dedicated to pandas, cyborgs and koalas made the list as untrustworthy and high-risk projects. BNB Chain’s Red Alarm feature, which was implemented to protect investors from potential rug pulls and scams, flagged projects based on two main criteria — if the contract performs differently from what the project owners advertised or if the contract shows risks that might influence users' funds. Speaking to Cointelegraph, Gwendolyn …

A Dune analytics platform user has found that more than $18.5 million worth of Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) and Mutant Ape Yacht Club (MAYC) nonfungible tokens (NFTs) have been marked as stolen or flagged for suspicious activity on OpenSea to date. According to data from Dune, a user known as Beetle discovered that 130 BAYC and 268 MAYC NFTs were reported for suspicious activity, alongside 153 Azuki’s, 202 CloneX and 70 Moonbirds. The total market worth of stolen NFTs from these notable collections amounts to just over $25 million. This dashboard looks into locked PFP NFTs on OpenSea which …

Terra (LUNA2) reversed a portion of the losses this June 9 as its price per token rose by as much as 67.5% on the day, catching many traders off-guard with their perpetual swap positions. LUNA2 traders are shorting it In detail, LUNA2's price soared from $2 to as high as $3.58. The volatile intraday move coincided with the liquidation of nearly $4 million worth of LUNA2 trades on Binance and Bybit, including $2.46 million worth of short positions, data from Coinglass shows. Interestingly, LUNA2's funding rates across Binance and Bybit remained negative, suggesting that traders are still short despite the …

The United States Federal Trade Commission has labeled social media and crypto a “combustible combination for fraud,” with nearly half of all crypto-related scams originating from social media platforms in 2021. Published on Friday, the report found that as much as $1 billion in crypto has been lost to scammers throughout the year, which was more than a five-fold increase from 2020, and nearly sixty times up from 2018. New analysis finds consumers reported losing more than $1 billion in #cryptocurrency to scams since 2021. Most of the losses consumers reported were to bogus cryptocurrency investment scams: https://t.co/MYGTcaw1aS #DataSpotlight /1 …

Australian consumer advocacy group CHOICE has called on the federal government to provide better protection for crypto investors while submitting a proposed regulatory framework for cryptocurrency exchanges operating in the country. The regulatory framework was submitted in response to the federal Treasury’s consultation paper for crypto asset secondary service providers, or CASSPs, defined as firms providing custodial crypto wallets and exchange services. CHOICE commented: “As it stands, enforceable protections in the unregulated cryptocurrency market are somewhere between negligible and non-existent.” Outlining four main areas in its framework, the group called for a single definition of crypto for better regulation, a …

Digital artist and popular nonfungible token (NFT) creator Mike Winkelmann, more commonly known as Beeple, had his Twitter account hacked on Sunday as part of a phishing scam. Harry Denley, security analyst of MetaMask, alerted users that Beeple’s tweets at the time containing a link to a raffle of a Louis Vuitton NFT collaboration were, in fact, a phishing scam that would drain the crypto out of users’ wallets if clicked. ⚠️ Beeple's Twitter account has been compromised (ATO) to post a phishing website to steal funds. 0x7b69c4f2ACF77300025E49DbDbB65B068b2Fda7D 0xF305F6073CFa24f05FF15CA5b387DD91f871b983 pic.twitter.com/0MPNwOPlEu — harry.eth (whg.eth) (@sniko_) May 22, 2022 The scammers were …

Decentralized exchanges (DEXs) nip in the bud several issues concerning their centralized counterparts such as concentration of liquidity in the hands of a few players, compromise of funds in case of a security breach, closed control structure and more. One issue, however, that has refused to subside is front-running. Unscrupulous players are still finding ways to defraud unsuspecting traders. If you have received less than expected when placing a trade on a DEX, there is a pretty good chance of you getting hit by front runners. These bad actors exploit the automated market maker (AMM) model to make profits at …

The non-fungible token (NFT) market has been booming since the summer of 2021 and as NFT prices were sky-rocketing, the number of hacks targeting NFTs were also increasing. The most recent high-profile hack siphoned approximately 600 Ether worth of NFTs from Arthur0x, the founder of DeFiance Capital, and they were sold off on OpenSea. A 2022 Crypto Crime Report published by Chainalysis highlighted that the value sent to NFT marketplaces by illicit addresses jumped significantly in 2021, topping out at just under $1.4 million. There is also a clear increase in stolen funds sent to NFT marketplaces. Given the concerning …

Recently launched NFT project, Rare Bears, was hit with an attack, after a hacker posted a phishing link in the project's Discord channel, stealing nearly $800,000 in NFTs. Analysis from blockchain security firm Peckshield detailed that the attacker was able to steal 179 NFTs, including Rare Bears and other NFTs from various collections, including CloneX, Azuki, a “mfer” from artist sartoshi, and 6 LAND tokens used for The Sandbox metaverse. According to on-chain analysis, most of the NFTs were sold, netting the hacker 286 ETH, worth over $795,500, most of which was promptly put through Tornado Cash, a crypto mixer …

How to identify and protect yourself from crypto frauds? One way to identify yourself from crypto fraud is through blockchain analysis tools. Another way is to be proactive by staying in control and not rushing into making decisions. Businesses in the cryptocurrency industry should adopt blockchain monitoring and analysis tools to avoid risking users' funds and trust. Also, one should stay in control and avoid uninvited investment offers, particularly those made over the phone. If you're thinking about investing, seek independent advice and conduct extensive research on the firm first. Do not get pleased by the exciting return on investment …

A pair of siblings is now in very hot water with the U.S. government with criminal charges filed against them for allegedly committing fraud in the Ormeus Coin scheme. On Mar. 8, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged siblings John Albert Loar Barksdale and sister JonAtina (Tina) Barksdale with violating federal securities laws and allegedly defrauding at least 12,000 “retail investors out of more than $124 million.” The Department of Justice (DOJ) arrested John abroad and charged him with wire fraud, securities fraud, and conspiracy. Both of the Barksdale siblings are U.S. citizens. John, 41, was living in Thailand …

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), led by crypto-skeptical Chairman Gary Gensler, is reportedly investigating NFT creators and marketplaces for securities violations, according to a report from Bloomberg. Anonymous sources in the report claim that the SEC is investigating whether: “certain nonfungible tokens… are being utilized to raise money like traditional securities.” Throughout the last few months, attorneys from the SEC’s enforcement unit have reportedly sent subpoenas demanding information on specific NFTs and other token offerings. While crypto lending products have been the subject of great regulatory scrutiny over the past year, this report marks a major move into …