Belgium’s Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA) has updated its crypto-related fraud blacklist to include a new total of 113 sites, in a fresh alert posted Dec. 18. The authority states that “despite” its prior warnings, it continues to receive complaints from defrauded investors. The newly added platforms are all allegedly run by “fraudsters [...] who are using cryptocurrencies to swindle consumers,” with the FSMA starkly reiterating: “The principle remains the same: they offer you an investment they claim is secure, easy and very lucrative [...] They claim to have specialists who will manage your investments for you. You are …

The Italian securities regulator has suspended two projects for allegedly offering fraudulent crypto investment schemes. The 90-day suspensions were reported in an official statement on the regulator’s website published Monday, Dec. 17. The Italian Companies and Exchange Commission — or Commissione Nazionale per le Società e la Borsa (CONSOB) — is the Italian analogue of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and represents a governmental authority that regulates the Italian securities market. Both firms suspended by the CONSOB — Bitsurge Token and Green Energy Certificates — are allegedly scam projects from Avalon Life, a company that is not …

United States-based gaming hardware manufacturer Razer has redesigned its native virtual currencies and loyalty system and launched a desktop mining app, according to a blog post published on Dec. 12. Founded in 2005, Razer has become a leading gaming hardware and software manufacturer in the U.S., Europe, and China. The company’s software platform reportedly has more than 50 million users. In the first six months of 2018, Razer’s revenues were $274.2 million. Razer has redesigned its native reward system and virtual credits Razer zGold and Razer zSilver. Launched in 2017, the virtual currencies have subsequently gained over 5 million users, …

United Kingdom-based cryptocurrency payment platform Cubits has filed for administration following a sudden outage that locked customer funds, a company press release revealed Dec. 11. The act of filing for administration means that an insolvent company has appointed an external administrator in order to act on behalf of its creditors. Cubits, the trading name of legal entity Dooga Ltd., claimed it had lost funds worth €29 million ($32.8 million) to “fraudsters” in February 2018 that it was unable to reclaim. Now, Dooga has brought in administrators “to work with those who are owed money by the Company and to collect …

The former CEO of defunct Japanese Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox, Mark Karpeles, could spend ten years in jail over alleged embezzlement, Japanese daily news outlet Nikkei reported Dec. 12. Karpeles, who presided over the major hack of Mt. Gox in 2014 that resulted in the loss of 850,000 BTC ($2.87 billion), has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. In a Tokyo court on Wednesday, prosecutors read out an indictment against the embattled executive, who is currently confined to Japan as a condition of his bail, claiming he stole funds worth 340 million yen ($3 million). The prosecution has asked for a ten-year …

Like many different industries, Hollywood’s involvement with cryptocurrencies and Initial Coin Offerings (ICO) has become a reality and a number of celebrities have looked to capitalize on the surge in interest and potential money to be made. As Cointelegraph has previously explored, some celebrities have gone on to achieve success in their crypto-related ventures, while others have been embroiled in the ensuing mess of failed and fraudulent projects. Caught up in Centra Tech Two major names in the entertainment industry fell victim to the fallout associated with a fraudulent ICO of crypto financial services startup Centra Tech. In 2018, the …

Japan’s financial regulator is set to introduce new Initial Coin Offering (ICO) regulations to protect investors from fraud, local news outlet Jiji Press reported Dec. 1. According to “informed” sources cited by Jiji, business operators conducting ICOs will be required to register with Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA). The agency is reportedly planning to submit bills revising financial instruments, exchanges and payment services laws to the ordinary parliamentary session that starts in January. This action has been undertaken “in view of a number of possibly fraudulent ICO cases abroad” as a way “to limit individuals' investment in ICOs for better …

In common law systems, it is precedent that informs judicial approaches to new and previously unaddressed matters. The precedent that will likely shape the body of U.S. case law on fraudulent initial coin offerings (ICOs) is currently being forged in a federal court in the New York borough of Brooklyn, where a 39-year old entrepreneur, Maksim Zaslavskiy, has pleaded guilty to committing securities fraud. The development that will most likely result in a landmark decision – the jury will gather in April 2019 to decide on a sentence – is yet another twist of a now 14 month-long effort, involving …

Acting U.S. attorney general (AG) Matthew G. Whitaker has come under fire for his association with an allegedly fraudulent patent company that involved cryptocurrency, U.S. news journal MotherJones reported Nov. 14. Whitaker, a Trump loyalist, was appointed by the U.S. president to replace former attorney general Jeff Sessions Nov. 7. Among other controversies, Whitaker is now being scrutinized for his involvement with “World Patent Marketing,” an alleged scam that marketed sundry outlandish products from aspiring inventors, including a “theoretical time travel commodity tied directly to price of Bitcoin.” As MotherJones reports, the marketed products also included a bespoke “masculine toilet” …

According to a new report from U.S.-based security firm Recorded Future published on Oct. 25, the North Korean government has sponsored at least two scam coins. In the report entitled “Shifting Patterns in Internet Use Reveal Adaptable and Innovative North Korean Ruling Elite,” Recorded Future’s research team Insikt Group mentions two alleged altcoin scams tied to North Korea. The first scam coin allegedly backed by North Korea is called Interstellar coin, and was found by Insikt Group in June 2018. The coin has reportedly been rebranded a number of times, going by various names such as HOLD, HUZU, or Stellar. …

Gone are the days when shady dealings in crypto were perceived as immune to the clutches of law enforcement. Illicit crypto proceeds can be shuttled between wallet addresses at the click of a mouse, and their obfuscation behind the multiple strings of numbers and letters of wallet addresses can create a dizzying — if not impenetrable — cryptographic maze for authorities to navigate. But the criminals themselves present a more concrete target, and as they interface with everything from crafty code to unwieldy hardware to ‘traditional’ firearms, there has been some success in 2018 in nabbing some of the year’s …

Cryptocurrency wallet and Ethereum decentralized app (DApp) extension MetaMask has blocked the most popular DApp for Ethereum, 333ETH. The Next Web reported on the block Friday, September 28. 333ETH promises “lifelong” payouts of Ether (ETH) to investors’ wallets via smart contracts upon an initial down payment. The latest in a series of popular Ethereum DApps to attract scam accusations, it is currently ranked the most popular on monitoring site DAppRadar. In comments on Twitter, MetaMask said it had opted to create the block, which it added it would make optional, due to the 333ETH DApp being an “active scam.” MetaMask …