scam

According to Protos, Myanmar has proposed introducing the death penalty for criminals who use violent means to coerce victims into participating in cryptocurrency scam centers. According to the draft of the country's Anti-Cyber Fraud Bill, criminals who use violence, torture, illegal arrest and detention, or cruel treatment against others to force them to commit cyber fraud will be sentenced to death.The bill will be submitted to parliament for review in June. In addition, operators of scam centers or perpetrators of cryptocurrency scams will face life imprisonment. Last month, the President of Myanmar reduced all death sentences to life imprisonment.

According to The Crypto Times, the High Court of Himachal Pradesh, India, rejected Abhishek Sharma's bail application. Sharma is one of the key promoters of a large-scale cryptocurrency MLM scam, which is suspected of defrauding over 80,000 investors across India, with estimated losses reaching 500 million rupees and a total investment pool of about 2 billion rupees.The report states that the scam involved several fraudulent crypto platforms such as Korvio, Voscrow, DGT, Hypenext, and A-Global, with investors promised double returns. In the early stages of the project, small returns were paid to attract more participants, but all payments suddenly stopped on December 25, 2021. Subsequently, the promoters directed users to other platforms, ultimately failing to pay any returns.The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had previously conducted searches at eight locations in Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, freezing approximately 12 million rupees in lockers and bank deposits. Investigators stated that the funds in the case were laundered through real estate developers, shell companies, and family bank accounts, with some senior individuals involved having fled to Dubai.

"On-chain detective" ZachXBT posted on platform X, publicly criticizing Tokenlon and imToken, stating that they have become high-risk channels for illegal fund flows and indicating that further actions will be taken against the relevant platforms.It is claimed that most of Tokenlon's trading volume comes from "pig butchering," investment scams, and various illegal market activities, directly stating that its co-founder Ben He should "bear legal responsibility for the related actions." He mentioned that investigations and crackdowns on Tokenlon and the imToken system will continue in the future. Tokenlon lacks genuine trading demand outside of Southeast Asia, with a significant proportion of its on-chain activities related to illegal fund flows, and this issue has noticeably worsened since 2022.In addition, ZachXBT also named several so-called "offshore large trading and aggregation platforms," including Butter Network, HiFiSwap, and Tokenlon, stating that they should be subject to stricter regulation and crackdown due to potential criminal activities.

According to Forbes, a U.S. court sentenced Robert Dunlap, the operator of the cryptocurrency scam Meta-1 Coin, to 23 years in prison. He was accused of defrauding approximately 1,000 investors through a fraudulent cryptocurrency investment project from 2018 to 2023, with the amount involved exceeding $20 million.According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Dunlap claimed that the "Meta-1 Coin" he issued was backed by $44 billion in gold reserves and $1 billion worth of artworks by Picasso, Dali, Van Gogh, etc., and promised a maximum return rate of 224,923%, while providing investors with forged audit documents and insurance materials.Investigations revealed that the so-called gold and art assets did not exist, and the "Meta Exchange" website he built used automated trading bots to create the illusion of profits. The related tokens were never actually issued on-chain. Investor funds were subsequently used to purchase luxury items, including Ferraris.It is worth noting that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission had already filed a civil fraud lawsuit against Dunlap in 2020, but he continued to operate the project until he was criminally charged in 2024. The FBI stated that the case "destroyed the wealth and trust accumulated by many victims over the years."

According to the Los Angeles Times, 22-year-old Evan Tangeman from Newport Beach was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison for money laundering for a young fraud gang.Tangeman admitted that the gang laundered at least $3.5 million, which was obtained by stealing over $263 million in cryptocurrency from investors through social engineering tactics such as impersonating employees of cryptocurrency trading platforms. Tangeman's compensation included luxury sports cars like Lamborghinis and Porsches. Federal agents seized a black 2022 Rolls-Royce Ghost (worth over $300,000) and a Porsche GT3 RS from his home.The gang is referred to as the "crypto kids," consisting of teenagers who used the stolen funds to rent luxury mansions and private jets, purchase luxury goods, and spend up to $500,000 in a single night at nightclubs. Tangeman also instructed others to destroy digital devices after gang members were arrested.

According to Fox News, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has collaborated with law enforcement agencies in Dubai, China, and Thailand to conduct a large-scale multinational joint law enforcement operation, successfully dismantling at least 9 overseas cryptocurrency scam centers, resulting in the arrest of 276 suspects, with the amount involved reaching millions of dollars.In this operation, the U.S. District Court in San Diego has filed federal telecommunications fraud and money laundering charges against 6 suspects, including individuals from Myanmar and Indonesia, whose scam organizations operated under names such as "Sanduo Group" and "Giant Company." Dubai police arrested 275 suspects, while the Royal Thai Police separately apprehended 1 fugitive.The aforementioned scam network employed a "pig butchering" technique, gaining the trust of victims through fabricated friendships or romantic relationships, luring them to transfer funds to fake cryptocurrency investment platforms, and then laundering the money and transferring it to criminal accounts.This operation aligns with the executive order signed by Trump on March 6, 2026, aimed at combating overseas criminal networks that exploit U.S. citizens. The FBI's "Operation Level Up" has notified approximately 9,000 victims, recovering about $562 million in losses for U.S. citizens. The FBI urges victims to report through the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).

According to GMGN monitoring, the price of the Meme coin SCAM on the Solana chain has plummeted 88% in 24 hours, with its market value dropping from a peak of nearly 20 million USD to around 1.43 million USD currently, and a 24-hour trading volume of 33.6 million USD.ChainCatcher reminds users that Meme coins generally have no practical use cases, and their prices are highly volatile, so investment should be approached with caution.

According to The Block, a U.S. court sentenced a woman from Saipan to 71 months in prison for her involvement in a Bitcoin-related fraud scheme that affected multiple elderly victims.The report stated that the defendant induced the victims to invest in Bitcoin under false pretenses by establishing a trusting relationship with them. The case was identified as a fraud scheme targeting multiple individuals.

According to GMGN monitoring, the meme coin Scam Altman (SCAM) on the Solana chain briefly surpassed a market value of 10 million dollars within 8 hours before slightly retreating, currently reported at 9.82 million dollars, with a trading volume of 19.6 million dollars.This morning, Musk posted on X multiple times referring to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman as Scam Altman, accusing him of stealing the results of charitable projects to acquire stocks worth hundreds of billions of dollars for himself.ChainCatcher reminds users that meme coin trading is highly volatile, largely relying on market sentiment and conceptual speculation, and has no actual value or use case; investors should be aware of the risks.

According to Cointelegraph, 22-year-old resident Evan Tangeman from California was sentenced to 70 months in prison on Friday for participating in a crime that involved stealing approximately $263 million in cryptocurrency from victims through social engineering scams and burglary.According to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Tangeman pleaded guilty to related charges in December 2025 and admitted to assisting members of the criminal organization in laundering at least $3.5 million in illegal funds. The DOJ stated that in addition to imprisonment, he was also sentenced to three years of supervised release.

According to an official announcement from the U.S. Department of Justice, the "Fraud Center Strike Force" announced today a series of coordinated actions against Southeast Asian criminal organizations: two Chinese managers, Huang Xingshan and Jiang Wenjie, working at the "Shun Da Fraud Center" in Myanmar, have been indicted for allegedly forcing trafficked laborers to engage in cryptocurrency investment fraud and have been arrested in Thailand; a Telegram channel with over 6,000 followers, used to lure individuals to Cambodia's fraud centers for forced labor, has been shut down; and 503 fraudulent domain names disguised as legitimate investment platforms have been seized.On the financial side, the task force has frozen over $701 million in cryptocurrency suspected of being related to fraud and money laundering, and through "Operation Level Up," notified 8,935 victims, estimating the recovery of potential losses at approximately $563 million. Additionally, the U.S. State Department announced a reward of up to $10 million for information related to the "

According to Reuters, the Greek maritime risk management company MARISKS warned that some shipping companies stranded west of the Strait of Hormuz received messages impersonating Iranian authorities, demanding payment of a "toll fee" in Bitcoin or Tether (USDT). This information is a scam and not officially released by Iran.MARISKS stated that the scam messages claimed that documents must be submitted and evaluated by the "Iranian security department" before determining the cryptocurrency fees. Currently, approximately hundreds of vessels and about 20,000 seafarers are stranded in the Gulf. During a brief opening of the strait on April 18, at least two vessels (including one tanker) were forced to turn back after being fired upon by Iranian ships.

Hong Kong police disclosed a fraud case that used "AI quantitative trading" as a gimmick to lure investments in cryptocurrency, with a woman being defrauded of approximately 7.7 million Hong Kong dollars.The scammer impersonated an "investment expert" and actively contacted the victim through Telegram, claiming to use "quantitative trading" and "AI algorithms" to achieve stable high returns. The victim transferred USDT and ETH worth about 7.7 million Hong Kong dollars from her electronic wallet to a designated address 17 times, only to realize she had been scammed when her withdrawal attempts were rejected. The Hong Kong police remind the public that while cryptocurrencies have high return potential, they also come with high volatility and high risk. The so-called "AI trading" and "quantitative guaranteed profits" are often bait for scams, and the public should be wary of the "impossible triangle" trap of high returns, low risk, and low thresholds.

The Hong Kong police disclosed a fraud case that lured investors into cryptocurrency with the gimmick of "AI quantitative trading," in which a woman was scammed out of approximately 7.7 million Hong Kong dollars. The fraudster impersonated an "investment expert" and proactively contacted the victim through Telegram, claiming to use "quantitative trading" and "AI algorithms" to achieve stable high returns. The victim transferred USDT and ETH worth about 7.7 million Hong Kong dollars from her electronic wallet to a designated address 17 times, only to realize she had been scammed when her withdrawal attempts were rejected.The Hong Kong police remind the public that while cryptocurrencies have high return potential, they also come with high volatility and high risks. The so-called "AI trading" and "quantitative guaranteed profits" are often bait for scams. The public should be wary of the "impossible triangle" trap of high returns, low risks, and low thresholds.

Texas man Robert Dunlap was sentenced to 23 years in federal prison for his involvement in a cryptocurrency scam exceeding $20 million and was ordered to pay restitution to nearly 1,000 victims.Prosecutors stated that Dunlap operated a cryptocurrency project and sold Meta - 1 Coin, falsely claiming that the token was backed by $44 billion in gold and approximately $1 billion in artwork, including works by Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, and Salvador Dalí, and that the assets had been audited. A jury had found him guilty of mail fraud last year.

According to market news, approximately $5.4 million in cryptocurrency assets has been recovered in a case of cryptocurrency investment fraud that evolved from a "romance scam" involving Florida and Massachusetts. Of this, about $700,000 has been returned to victims in Florida, $1.3 million has been returned to victims in Massachusetts, and the remaining funds will be used to continue combating cryptocurrency fraud.The Florida prosecutor's office stated that the victims of this case are distributed across six counties in the state, with a single victim in Marion County losing over $450,000. The Florida Cyber Fraud Enforcement Unit reported that $3.3 million has been recovered in the first quarter of 2026, and over its 2.5 years of existence, it has recovered a total of $7.2 million, with an additional $12.6 million in frozen cryptocurrency assets still in litigation.

According to market news, a report released by the blockchain security company Hacken shows that Web3 projects lost a total of $464.5 million this quarter due to hacker attacks and scams, with phishing and social engineering attacks accounting for $306 million, becoming the main source of losses.A hardware wallet scam that occurred in January caused a loss of $282 million, accounting for 81% of the total quarterly losses. Smart contract vulnerabilities led to losses of $86.2 million, while access control failures (including breaches of keys and cloud services) caused losses of $71.9 million. The report points out that the largest security incidents often occur in off-chain operations and infrastructure layers, which traditional audits find difficult to cover. The European regulatory frameworks MiCA and DORA are increasing requirements for security monitoring and incident response, and global regulatory agencies are also raising standards for real-time monitoring and emergency response.

According to market news, Pasternak, the founder of the Solana ecosystem application Believe, has been charged in a New York court for allegedly participating in a crypto rug pull scam.The incident involves the Solana public chain ecosystem and is suspected to be related to millions of dollars in losses. As the person in charge of the Believe project, Pasternak is accused of using the project to commit fraud, resulting in significant financial losses for investors. The case is currently under trial, and relevant details have not yet been fully disclosed.

According to Cointelegraph, the joint law enforcement operation "Operation Atlantic" by the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada was completed in March this year, led by the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA). Over $12 million in suspected fraud proceeds were frozen, and more than 20,000 victims were identified, with a total fraud amount exceeding $45 million.This operation focused on authorized phishing attacks—a scam technique that induces users to sign malicious authorizations, thereby allowing attackers to transfer tokens from the wallet. Binance participated by providing account screening and fraud intelligence support, but no funds were frozen from its platform.