A risk assessment conducted by the U.S. Treasury Department found that non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and related platforms are highly susceptible to use in fraud and scams. The risk assessment also warns that criminals can exploit NFTs to launder illicit proceeds or “obfuscate the source of funds.” NFTs Likely to be Used in Fraud and Scams […]
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AI-Driven Fraud on the Rise, Financial Institutions Unprepared, Reveals Report
A new report by Signicat, the European digital identity and fraud prevention solutions provider, reveals that artificial intelligence (AI) is used in over a third of fraud attempts targeting financial institutions, with one in fifteen fraud attempts now using deepfakes. The study, titled “The Battle against AI-driven Identity Fraud,” found that 42.5% of detected fraud […]
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Malaysian Authorities Bust Syndicate Accused of Laundering Fraud Proceeds via Cryptocurrency
Law enforcement officials in Malaysia recently arrested ten individuals linked to a criminal syndicate that allegedly used cryptocurrencies to launder fraudulent proceeds. Assets, including motor vehicles, valued at more than .7 million were seized, and bank accounts holding approximately .8 million were frozen. Syndicate Accused of Channeling Illegally Acquired Funds into Malaysia Authorities in Malaysia […]
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Built On An $6 Million NFT Scam? AI Company Accused Of Fraud By Internet Investigator
Youtuber and Internet investigator Coffeezilla has called out Artificial Intelligence (AI) company Rabbit for allegedly being built on a million non-fungible token (NFT) scam. The company is accused of being responsible for the GAMA NFT Project “fraud” as part of a history of lies.
Down The NFT Fraud Rabbit Hole
Stephen Findeisen, better known as Coffeezilla, published a YouTube video calling out Rabbit Inc. for being built on the remains of an alleged NFT fraud from 2021. The internet investigator revealed that the company is seemingly trying to hide its ties to the GAMA project.
Coffeezilla unveiled the depth of the AI company’s rabbit hole by claiming that, despite raising over million in venture capital (VC), Rabbit used to be called Cyber Manufacture Corporation.
In 2021, the company raised over million for its “next-generation NFT Project GAMA.” The project was described as a decentralized organization “with the grand goal of sending 10,000 astronauts into space to collect extraterrestrial energy.”
At the time, GAMA’s founder Jesse Lyu would make “wild promises,” claiming the NFTs were just the start. According to the YouTube sleuth, Lyu declared they would create “the first-ever carbon-negative cryptocurrency powered by our sun.”
The founder promised to build a clean energy grid through NFT sales owned by NFT buyers. The grid’s energy would be used to mine GAMA tokens. However, the tokens were never launched, and the project seemed to be abandoned.
Its team replied to Coffeezilla’s request for comment, stating that GAMA was not abandoned but “open-sourced.” Moreover, they claimed a token was never promised, as Lyu said in 2021 that his words were not final. The team added that they live in a country that “values free speech.”
Nonetheless, the internet investigator found that the “open-sourced” engine constantly crashed and was non-functional after several tests. He also highlighted that Lyu stated in several discord messages that the project’s cryptocurrency was part of the roadmap.
Based on this, Coffeezilla questioned where the million in funding went and whether Lyu’s new project should be trusted.
Another Rabbit In The Hat?
GAMA’s founder has embarked on a new project unrelated to NFTs. His latest company, Rabbit, focuses on AI technology. The company went viral in early 2024, raising million in VC and selling over million in consumer products.
Rabbit launched their AI personal assistance device, Rabbit R1, on easter 2024. However, the project has received a lot of backlash for not living up to the hype and promises.
Several tech reviewers concurred that R1 was part of a trend of releasing “unfinished” products. According to YouTuber Marques Brownlee, Rabbit’s product was “barely reviewable” and the pinnacle of “delivering barely finished products to win a race.’”
Moreover, founder and CTO of WeGPT, Josh Ollin, called the project a “scam” when R1 was announced. He also pointed out on different occasions that the hype and interactions around the company were “fake impressions” from bots.
Ollin called Lyu an “NFT grifter” and stated that his past behavior affected the new project due to the “shady insincere fraudulent business practices on display (fake engagement, fake bot followers, fake tech stack, overpriced vaporware).”
Coffeezilla stated a similar sentiment in his video:
So many of the promises of Gama didn’t happen. This is relevant to the R1 not just because this project is built on the skeleton of that scam project, it’s also because the R1 is overhyped in a similar way.
As noted by the internet sleuth, Lyu has diminished his links to GAMA NFT, calling it a “fun little project” he was “involved with” during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ultimately, he considers it important for users to know the company’s “history of abandoning investors like they did with GAMA NFT.”
Ontario ‘Crypto King’ Faces Major Fraud and Money Laundering Charges
The Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) announced on May 15 that two Ontario residents have been charged with offenses under the Criminal Code of Canada as part of Project Swan, a joint investigation by the Durham Regional Police Service (DRPS) and the OSC. Aiden Pleterski, self-proclaimed “Crypto King,” is charged with fraud over ,000 and laundering […]
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Taiwanese Prosecutors Indict 32 Individuals Implicated in $24.5 Million ACE Exchange Fraud Scheme
At least 32 individuals connected to the now-defunct Taiwan-based cryptocurrency exchange, ACE Exchange, have been indicted on fraud charges. Prosecutors have recommended 20-year jail terms for the founder, David Pan, and his business partner, while a 12-year jail term has been proposed for Chairman Wang Chen-huan. Token Prices Plummet Taiwanese prosecutors recently indicted at least […]
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JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon: Bitcoin Is a Fraud, There’s No Hope for BTC as a Currency
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon has doubled down on his anti-bitcoin stance, emphasizing that the crypto is a fraud with no future as a currency. “It’s a Ponzi scheme,” the executive stressed. However, despite his strong opinion about bitcoin, JPMorgan is an authorized participant for Blackrock’s spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF). Dimon, while advising investors […]
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Report: Mango Markets Exploiter Convicted in Multi-Million Dollar Crypto Fraud Case
A U.S. federal jury has convicted Avraham ‘Avi’ Eisenberg on charges of commodities fraud, commodities manipulation, and wire fraud due to his involvement in the 6 million exploit of Mango Markets, a Solana-based decentralized exchange (dex) platform. Jury Convicts Avi Eisenberg in 6M Mango Markets Crypto Fraud Case In this high-profile court case, Eisenberg was […]
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Arbitrum Launches Fraud Proofs In Testnet: Why Is ARB Down?
Arbitrum, the largest Ethereum layer-2 scaling solution by total value locked (TVL), is taking steps towards decentralization. In an update on April 16, Offchain Labs–Arbitrum developers–said they have deployed the permissionless version of their fraud proofs, dubbed Bounded Liquidity Delay (BOLD), to testnet.
Ethereum Layer-2s Are Popular, But There Is A Big Problem
Ethereum layer-2 solutions have been gaining prominence over the years. According to L2Beat data on April 17, these platforms control over billion of assets. Protocol developers and users can send transactions cheaply through Arbitrum, Optimism, Base, and other alternatives.
However, while they are popular and command billions in TVL, most of these platforms’ fraud proofs are being developed. Typically, when users transact all chains, all transactions must be confirmed by a web of miners or validators, depending on the consensus mechanism.
This differs in layer-2 options, which must reroute transactions and process them off-chain. There is no way of proving whether queued transactions are valid before being batched and confirmed on-chain.
The fraud proofs, such as those presented by Arbitrum and other optimistic rollup solutions, are designed to address a critical issue in layer-2 solutions. Specifically, once live and integrated into Arbitrum, BOLD will serve as a safety net, ensuring the validity of transactions processed off-chain. This mechanism is crucial in maintaining the integrity of transactions while enabling efficient off-chain processing.
In compliance with blockchain principles, BOLD will be decentralized. As such, the community will run nodes, which differs from the current setup. As it is, transaction validation in Arbitrum is centralized, and only a few validators are tasked with this.
Arbitrum Deploys BOLD In Testnet, ARB Prices Falling
With BOLD in the testnet, Arbitrum is opening up its rails so that anyone can participate in network security and validate withdrawals back to Ethereum. This move will be critical in building a more decentralized ecosystem and making the platform more robust.
Arbitrum becomes the first Ethereum layer-2 to launch its fraud proofs in testnet. In a post on X, Ryan Watts of Optimism also notified the community that plans are underway to create a decentralized fraud-proof system for the second-most largest layer-2 by TVL.
Even with this major milestone, ARB prices are stable and under pressure.
Related Reading: Crypto Analyst Says Don’t Buy Altcoins Just Yet – Here’s Why
The token is down 50% from March 2024 highs at spot rates and remains under immense selling pressure. If buyers reverse the April 12 and 13 sell-off, the token might recover strongly, racing towards .5.
Chinese Fraud Victims Seek Government Aid in Recovering 61,000 BTC Seized by UK Law Enforcement
A group of Chinese victims of a billion fraud scheme have requested assistance from their country’s foreign ministry in recovering 61,000 bitcoins, seized from a fraudster and her associate. The fraud victims have strongly opposed attempts to transfer the ownership of these bitcoins to the U.K. government. Petition Garners More Than 2,500 Signatures A […]
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