BITCOIN
What is Bitcoin?
Bitcoin (BTC) is the first cryptocurrency created by Satoshi Nakamoto in 2008. With the underlying technology blockchain, bitcoin has redefining money in terms of money form, money issuance standard and money movement. Bitcoin has a limit of 21 million coins and uses proof-of-work (POW) consensus. In some sense, bitcoin removes our reliance on central banks and traditional financial institutions that we have to trust on. Bitcoin brings monetary freedom.
Bitcoin (BTC) is the first cryptocurrency created by Satoshi Nakamoto in 2008. With the underlying technology blockchain, bitcoin has redefining money in terms of money form, money issuance standard and money movement. Bitcoin has a limit of 21 million coins and uses proof-of-work (POW) consensus. In some sense, bitcoin removes our reliance on central banks and traditional financial institutions that we have to trust on. Bitcoin brings monetary freedom.
Crypto Hacks and Scams on the Rise
Over $103 million was lost to crypto exploits, scams, and hacks in April, with the total loss for the year reaching $429.7 million. Major hacks included Bitrue exchange and South Korean GDAC exchange, and flash loan attacks took around $20 million. Exit scams saw a loss of $9.4 million.
YouTuber's Channel Hacked for XRP Scams
DidYouKnowGaming's YouTube channel was hacked to promote XRP scams, with the hacker changing the channel's profile and cover images to Ripple's logo. YouTube intervened quickly to prevent further damage, but the rise of deepfakes remains a threat to crypto investors.
KuCoin User Linked to Memecoin Scams
Crypto exchange KuCoin confirms a user's address is responsible for launching thousands of memecoin scams but will not freeze assets without official notice from law enforcement. The wallet address has been marked as a fake phishing wallet by blockchain explorer Etherscan.
Cryptocurrency Phishing Attacks Rise by 40% Year-on-Year in 2022
Kaspersky, a Russian cybersecurity and anti-virus provider, has reported a 40% year-on-year increase in cryptocurrency phishing attacks in 2022. The attacks involve reaching out to investors through fake websites and communication channels that mimic official companies, prompting users to share personal information such as private keys. Attackers are evolving their strategies to lure unwary crypto investors. Recently, hardware cryptocurrency wallet provider Trezor warned against attempts to steal users' crypto through fake Trezor sites. In a survey, one out of seven respondents admitted to being affected by cryptocurrency phishing.
BNB Chain Dominates Q1 2023 Rug Pull Scams
According to a report by blockchain security firm Immunefi, BNB Chain saw 73.3% of all rug pull scams in the crypto ecosystem during Q1 2023. The report also revealed that BNB Chain and Ethereum were the two largest targets for hackers and scammers, with 68.8% of total losses from these networks combined.
Scammers adapt to survive during crypto winter
While crypto scam revenue dropped by 46%, scammers adapted and shifted their strategies to prey on people's emotions, with romance and giveaway scams on the rise.
Hong Kong Suffers Surge in Crypto Scams in 2022
Hong Kong police reported a surge in crypto-related scams in 2022, with losses amounting to HK$1.7 billion ($216.6 million), up 106% from the previous year. The number of crypto-related scam cases reported in Hong Kong also surged by 67% from 2021. Such scams accounted for over 50% of the HK$3.2 billion ($407 million) stolen from city residents in technology crimes. The Hong Kong police CyberDefender website reported almost 23,000 cases of technology-related crimes in 2022. The use of cryptocurrency has made it more complicated for enforcement to track criminal funds, as fraudsters can hide their identities, transactions, and final destination.
Bitcoin of America indicted for operating unlicensed kiosks
Bitcoin of America, a Bitcoin technology firm, along with three of its executives, has been indicted for allegedly operating more than 50 unlicensed crypto kiosks in Ohio that knowingly benefited from victims of cryptocurrency scams. The firm is facing charges of money laundering, conspiracy, and other crimes connected to the operation of the kiosks, which authorities believe have been operating and evading regulatory safeguards and financial compliance requirements since 2018.
Binance Launches Joint Anti-Scam Campaign
Binance has launched a "Joint Anti-Scam Campaign" in Hong Kong in cooperation with local law enforcement agencies. The initiative involves issuing targeted alerts to potential victims of scams to prevent them from falling victim to fraudulent activity. Binance intends to expand the campaign to other jurisdictions.
Dozens of AI-Powered Chatbot Tokens Found to Be Part of honeypot schemes
Blockchain security company PeckShield has warned about "dozens" of BingChatGPT pump-and-dump tokens.