Scams


Tech

ICO-Funded Project Sparkster Converts $22M in Ether to USDC After 3 Years, No Product

Sparkster promised investors a “no-code” software-creation platform using $30 million in funds raised from investors in 2018.

fireworks, independence

Policy

5 US States Issue Emergency Orders to Shut Down Metaverse Casino With Alleged Russian Ties

A multi-state cease-and-desist letter issued Wednesday calls the Flamingo Casino Club “simply a high tech scam.”

Regulators say the Flamingo Casino Club is a scam that concealed its ties to Russia. (bert van wijk/Getty Images)

Policy

How Big Is Crypto Crime, Really?

Estimates of the scale of online crime range from under 1% to nearly half of all crypto activity – CoinDesk analyzes the approach to these estimates.

(Chris Rogers/Getty Images)

Policy

Binance Asks to Be Removed From Crypto Romance Scam Lawsuit

The Cayman Islands company argued it is not subject to the "personal jurisdiction" of U.S. federal courts.

(Adrian Swancar/Unsplash)

Learn

How to Spot Crypto Pump-and-Dump Schemes

Crypto’s favorite scam isn’t just prevalent – it’s taking on new forms.

(Michael Geiger/Unsplash)

Policy

One-Quarter of French Financial Scams Involve Crypto, Ombudsman Says

Marielle Cohen-Branche also warned of a loophole for complaints about unregistered crypto firms.

Hacker stealing password and identity, computer crime.

Opinion

The End of NFT Rug Pulls?

The ERC-721R standard guarantees refunds for non-fungible tokens, offering greater security for buyers and legitimacy for creators. But risks remain for both sides of the trade.

(Alex Belomlinsky/Getty Images, modified by CoinDesk)

Finance

India's Supreme Court Seeks Wallet Info From Suspect in $3.8B GainBitcoin Scam

Ajay Bhardwaj, the brother of Amit Bhardwaj, the primary suspect who is now deceased, has been asked to give his username and password to authorities.

Supreme Court of India (Shuttersock)

Opinion

The Perils of Crypto's Pseudonymous Economy

Let's pull the rug on "anonymous" crypto devs.

Groucho Marx in "A Day at the Races" (Creative Commons, modified by CoinDesk)