Bitcoin’s (BTC) recent price drop has not been caused by Bitcoin sell-offs from a $3 billion Chinese Ponzi scheme PlusToken, according to researchers at crypto analytics firm TokenAnalyst. Crypto analytics firm: PlusToken cannot be the cause As Bloomberg reports on Aug. 15, co-founder of London-based cryptocurrency analytics firm TokenAnalyst, Sid Shekhar, said that a Bitcoin dump by the PlusToken operators cannot be the cause of the recent price drop. Notably, the firm did not find any evidence that PlusToken moved any significant amounts of Bitcoin to any known exchange addresses. Shekhar said: “It doesn’t look like any of these addresses …

Amid a downturn in the cryptocurrency markets, the apparent swathe of Bitcoin sell-offs from a $3 billion Chinese Ponzi scheme could be to blame. On Aug. 14, Dovey Wan — founding partner of blockchain-based investment company Primitive Ventures — called attention to the ongoing mass sell-offs from the fraudulent Chinese investment scheme, dubbed PlusToken. 10 million investors scammed of $3 billion As Wan outlines, PlusToken was created in mid-2018 and promised high yield investment returns at different rebate percentages to its four tiers of member — a classic Ponzi scheme structure. By early 2019, the project claimed to have over …

A group of Venezuelans has filed a lawsuit with a Florida Federal Court in connection with a Ponzi scheme. The scheme purportedly involved $30 million in cryptocurrency promoted by Canadian investment radio host Harold Seigel. Payment and commerce news outlet Pymnts.com reported today, July 16, that seven Venezuelans claim to have been lured into a $30 million worth digital currency Ponzi scheme conducted by companies such as Eagle Financial Diamond Group Inc. and Argyle Coin. The cryptocurrency involved into the fraud was reportedly pegged to diamonds. The frauds allegedly used raised funds to pay back earlier investors The plaintiffs accuse …

An angry mob in Ladysmith, South Africa has reportedly torched the residence of Sphelele Mbatha, known as Sgumza, a manager of alleged crypto Ponzi scheme Bitcoin Wallet. The mob was likely a collection of victims who lost money through Bitcoin Wallet, according to a report by local newspaper Ladysmith Gazette on July 10. The local police have been investigating an unnamed Ponzi Scheme in Ladysmith, as reported by major South African news site IOL. According to the report, however, Bitcoin Wallet minimally appears to have made get-rich-quick promises to prospective investors. An unnamed community member reportedly told the publication that …

Vanuatu, a Pacific Island country, has extradited six Chinese citizens to the mainland, according to a report by Odaily Planet Daily on July 10. The suspects were reportedly arrested in the course of an ongoing investigation of the PlusToken cryptocurrency platform which, according to the Yancheng Public Security Bureau, is a pyramid scheme. As per the report, the Yancheng police in China have confirmed that they cooperated with local Vanuatu police to extradite six suspects associated with the PlusToken fund. The individuals were reportedly arrested by Vanuatu authorities at Chinese police’s request, and later released to China following negotiations. The …

The Tron Foundation issued an official response to a recent protest against a ponzi scheme that went under a Tron-like name, today, July 8. As Cointelegraph previously reported, protestors swarmed the Beijing research and development offices of Raybo technology — a partner firm of Tron’s — to express outrage at a local cryptocurrency scam operating under a Tron-like name that reportedly led to $30 million worth of losses and one suicide. The offices were eventually surrounded by police, who contained and subsequently removed the protestors. In its official statement, Tron said that it communicated with the protesters and discovered that …

The Tron office in Beijing has been surrounded by police as a crowd gathered to protest against a Chinese ponzi scheme that went under a Tron-like name, Twitter personality Crypto Authority reports on July 8. Videos with crowds surrounded by police officers in the Tron’s office have spread over Twitter, with people apparently coming to express outrage at a local crypto scam that reportedly led to $30 million worth of losses and one suicide. As can be seen on the videos, people are apparently considering Tron to be the fraudulent entity, with the crowd reportedly yelling "Tron is a scam.” …

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of India has arrested Vijay Prajapati, Dhiraj Patel, Kamruddin Syed, and Ashiq Shaikh, the alleged creators of the cryptocurrency KBC Coin, according to a report by The Times of India on July 4. As per the report, the CID argues that KBC is a Ponzi Scheme. KBC reportedly launched 6 months ago, and its price has not moved since. KBC coins were reportedly issued at 10 paisas apiece, with the promise that they would skyrocket in value to 10 rupees in a short time ⁠— a 100-fold return on investment. According to a CID member, …

The National Bank of Rwanda, the country’s central bank, has issued a public service announcement on alleged cryptocurrency scams, according to an official Twitter post on May 30. The central bank specifically warns the public about initial coin offering (ICO) scams and crypto-based Ponzi schemes, which purport to offer a quick and significant return on investment for early adopters. These sorts of scams have reportedly been active in Rwanda, through firms like Supermarketings Global Ltd, 3 Friends System (3FS) Group Ltd, OneCoin, and Kwakoo (OnyxCoin). The National Bank of Rwanda cautions investors to vet their potential projects, and reminds the …

Police in Russia have arrested an alleged creator of a crypto pyramid scheme from Kazakhstan who was facing an international arrest warrant, Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs (MOI) officially reported on May 28. The unnamed detainee is reportedly accused of defrauding investors using a scam crypto scheme promising high returns from crypto investments, involving a group of criminals. The MOI reported at least 300 fraud cases allegedly connected with the pyramid scheme, with one of the investors having reportedly lost around 14 million Kazakhstan tenge ($36,700) to the criminals. According to the report, the intruder fled Kazakhstan in early 2019 …

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has initiated court proceedings against a California resident for allegedly operating a multimillion-dollar cryptocurrency pyramid scheme, according to a press release published on May 23. The SEC alleges Daniel Pacheco of conducting a fraudulent, unregistered offering of securities through two California-based companies, IPro Solutions LLC and IPro Network LLC, from January 2017 through March 2018. The companies purportedly attracted over $26 million from investors who received “points” that could be converted into a digital currency called PRO Currency. Investors who contributed additional funds were told they could earn cash commissions and additional …

Brazillian police have arrested ten people suspected of operating a cryptocurrency pyramid scheme worth 850 million reals ($210 million), local news media outlets including Correido Do Povo reported on May 21. As part of Operation Egypto, a swoop dedicated to unearthing unsanctioned financial schemes, Brazil’s tax agency joined police in orchestrating a crackdown on the figures behind Indeal, who they say amassed funds from 55,000 investors. They lured victims with the promise of a 15% payout in the first month after investment in the crypto scheme. In total, the investigation involved inspection of 13 individuals and five legal entities. “The …