Top Finiko Crypto Pyramid Executive Arrested in Russia’s Tatarstan

A high-ranking representative of Russia’s notorious Finiko Ponzi scheme has been arrested in Tatarstan. Ilgiz Shakirov, a businessman from Kazan, rose to the rank of vice president of the crypto pyramid which is believed to have defrauded millions of investors in the Russian Federation and surrounding regions. Kazan Police Detain Finiko Vice President Police in … Read more

ICOs Are Dead But ICO Scammers Are Immortal

The initial coin offering may have all but died, but the ICO scammer marches on regardless. Whereas legitimate projects have to wrangle with all kinds of challenges including the strength of the market, generating value for investors, creating a real product and actually delivering on the promises they make, the soulless scammer is unencumbered by … Read more

Data Shows Ethereum is the ‘Cryptocurrency of Choice for Scams’

Since the very early days, back when people learned how to create new cryptocurrencies or quickly build infrastructure models like digital asset trading platforms, many scams started to spawn frequently. According to the blockchain surveillance company Chainalysis, over the last two years fraud in the Ethereum ecosystem has run rampant and it’s been the “cryptocurrency … Read more

Google Security Expert Warns Against Bitcoin Bragging Online

Mark Risher, Google’s director of product management, Google Identity, account security, and spam & abuse, recently urged cryptocurrency investors not to brag about their virtual currency holdings online. Also Read: Netherlands’ Largest Bank ING Group Fined $900M for Money Laundering Google Security Expert Cautions Traders Against Boasting Online In a recent interview with CNBC, Google security … Read more

The Daily: New Education Centers, Vietnamese Ask for Fraudster’s Extradition

In today’s edition of Bitcoin in Brief we cover a number of new academic education centers around the world devoted to the research of the technology behind cryptocurrency, and demands by Vietnamese victims for an alleged fraudster’s extradition plus an update about Kickico. Also Read: Okex Socializes Loss From Over $400 Million Bet Among BTC … Read more

The Daily: Exchange Operator Pleads Guilty, Scammer Fined Over $1.9 Million

In today’s edition of Bitcoin in Brief we cover a number of stories related to crime from around the cryptosphere: an exchange operator pleads guilty to securities fraud, a scammer is fined over $1.9 million for bitcoin and binary options fraud, police get a crypto course and a new type of ransomware attack is discovered. … Read more

Since Twitter Won’t Stop Crypto Scammers, These Services Will

One of the most maddening things about lookalike Twitter scammers has been Twitter’s unwillingness to do anything about them. It’s not a complex problem to solve, and yet for months the micro-blogging service has prevaricated while the gullible public has given their ether away to flagrant scammers. A couple of third party services have now … Read more

How to Survive a Blockchain Conference Without Getting Hacked

Blockchain conference season is here, the industry’s equivalent of Hollywood’s awards season. It’s an opportunity for crypto celebs to tread the red carpet and for everyone from minnows to whales to mingle, network, and learn. But if you’re not careful, it’s also a chance to get your devices pwned and your cryptocurrency swiped. Also read: Xapo … Read more

Alleged British Bitcoin Scammer Extradited to US for Defrauding Over $36 Million

The FBI has announced on Friday that Renwick Haddow, a 49-year old UK national, has been extradited to the US from Morocco to face charges at the Southern District Court of New York. He is accused of defrauding more than $36 million from victims by making material misrepresentations and misappropriating investment funds in two companies, … Read more