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$7.8B lost in crypto Ponzi and pyramid schemes in 2022: Report

June 28, 2023 Coin Telegraph

Coin Telegraph

Illicit activities related to crypto increased across the sector in 2022 despite an overall market downturn.

According to a report published by blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs on June 28, a combined $7.8 billion was paid to cryptocurrency pyramid and Ponzi schemes worldwide in 2022. In addition, another $1.5 billion in crypto was alleged by TRM to have been spent on darknets for illicit activities, while another $3.7 billion in crypto was lost in hacks or exploits.

In total, $9.04 billion in crypto was sent to all types of financial fraud schemes, as alleged by TRM Labs. Despite a collapse in cryptocurrency prices from the ongoing bear market, it appears that there has been no corresponding slowdown in crypto-related crime. The firm wrote:

“Investment fraud centers on the solicitation of funds for fraudulent investments or projects; these often involve fake initial coin offerings (ICOs), unregistered securities or fraudulent investment platforms. Investment fraud involving cryptocurrency rose by nearly 200% from USD 907 million in 2021 to USD 2.57 billion in 2022.”

Researchers said that 10 of the largest crypto Ponzi and pyramid schemes accounted for around 54% of the total amount. Moreover, an alleged 40% of the total incoming volume of investment fraud schemes active in 2022 was on Tron, mostly via Tether (USDT) issued on the blockchain, compared to just 17% in 2021.

Two of the largest crypto Ponzi schemes prosecuted in 2022 were Forsage and Trade Coin Club. Forsage lured investors with the promise of high returns through Ethereum and BNB Smart Chain contracts, netting nearly $974 million in investors’ money through two related entities. Meanwhile, Trade Coin Club claimed high returns through its cryptocurrency exchange, soliciting more than $295 million from over 100,000 investors before its collapse. Both firms have since been sanctioned by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

*Crypto spending on darknet markets in 2022. Source: TRM Labs*

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Forsage founders indicted over $340M DeFi ‘Ponzi scheme’

February 23, 2023 Coin Telegraph

Forsage founders indicted over 0M DeFi ‘Ponzi scheme’

Carolyn Welshhans

According to the Department of Justice, Forsage employed smart contracts which were coded in ways consistent with a Ponzi scheme.

The founders behind the alleged $340 million “global Ponzi” scheme Forsage have been indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of Oregon.

The four Russian founders — Vladimir Okhotnikov, Olena Oblamska, Mikhail Sergeev, and Sergey Maslakov — have been formally accused of having key roles in the scheme which raised approximately $340 million from victim-investors, according to a Feb. 22 Department of Justice (DOJ) statement.

“Today’s indictment is the result of a rigorous investigation that spent months piecing together the systematic theft of hundreds of millions of dollars,” said U.S. Attorney Natalie Wight for the District of Oregon, adding:

“Bringing charges against foreign actors who used new technology to commit fraud in an emerging financial market is a complicated endeavor only possible with the full and complete coordination of multiple law enforcement agencies.”

Forsage had touted itself as a low-risk decentralized finance (DeFi) platform built on the Ethereum (ETH) blockchain which purportedly allowed users to generate long-term passive income, Blockchain analytics however reportedly revealed that 80% of Forsage “investors” have received less back than they had put in.

According to the DOJ, analysis of the smart contracts revealed that funds raised as new investors purchased “slots” in Forsage’s smart contracts were diverted to older investors, as is consistent with a "Ponzi scheme."

Forsage still has an active Twitter account, which posted a thread on Feb. 22 claiming that community members who participate in “The Ambassador Program” would be able to earn monthly rewards by completing certain tasks.

2/3

Pre-registration will open soon, so don't hesitate to be among the first!

The Ambassador Program is an opportunity not only to earn rewards, but also to attract new members to the team, get to know the products better and broaden your horizons in the world of Web3.
— FORSAGE (@forsageofficial) February 22, 2023

On Aug. 1 2022, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had charged the four founders and seven promoters with fraud and selling unregistered securities, with acting chief of the SEC’s Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit, Carolyn Welshhans, noting at the time:

“Fraudsters cannot circumvent the federal securities laws by focusing their schemes on smart contracts and blockchains.”

The Philippines Securities and Exchange Commission had also flagged Forsage as a likely Ponzi back in 2020, but a month later the platform was still the second-most popular DApp on the Ethereum blockchain.

While a charge refers to the instance when a prosecutor brings criminal charges and accuses an individual or group of an offense, an indictment is filed by a grand jury if prosecutors are able to convince a majority of them that a formal accusation is warranted following an investigation.

Grand juries are common in federal and serious state felony offenses.

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EmpiresX ‘head trader’ to face 4 years of prison over $100M crypto ‘Ponzi’

December 1, 2022 Coin Telegraph

<div>EmpiresX 'head trader' to face 4 years of prison over 0M crypto 'Ponzi'</div>

CFTC

Two other associates that helped run the U.S.-based fraudulent crypto platform EmpiresX left the country early this year and are believed to be in Brazil.

One of the leading figures convicted of being behind the $100 million crypto “Ponzi” scheme, EmpiresX, has just been handed an over four-year jail sentence by a United States court.

The sentencing was handed to Joshua David Nicholas, the “head trader” of purported crypto platform EmpiresX, who is nowset to serve a 51-month prison sentence along with three years of supervised release for his role in the fraudulent scheme.

It follows a Sept. 8 guilty plea from Nicholas for conspiracy to commit securities fraud.

According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), over a two-year period, Nicholas made claims the platform would make daily “guaranteed” returns using a trading bot that utilized “artificial and human intelligence” to maximize returns.

In reality, the “bot” was fake, and Nicolas and his associates, Emerson Pires and Flavio Goncalves, operated a "Ponzi" scheme that paid earlier investors with money from later investors. The DOJ alleges blockchain analytics shows Pires and Goncalves, both Brazilian nationals, laundered investors’ funds through a “foreign-based” crypto exchange.

Only around $1 million of investor funds were sent to a futures trading account for EmpiresX with the majority of funds either lost or misappropriated according to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) which filed civil actions against the three in June.

At the same time, fraud charges were leveled against the trio by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) which said investor money was used to “lease a Lamborghini, shop at Tiffany & Co., make a payment on a second home, and more.”

Investors were also told EmpiresX was registered with the SEC as a hedge fund and that Nicholas was a licensed trader.

The SEC said the platform was never registered with the Commission and Nicholas’ was suspended from trading by the National Futures Association for misappropriating customer funds.

The scheme ran for two years, from around September 2020 until early 2022 when it fell apart as the platform refused to honor customer withdrawals who were likely wanting to leave the crypto market due to significant price drawdowns that began at the time.

Pires and Goncalves, who were residing in Florida, allegedly began winding down the operations of EmpiresX in early 2022 and left the U.S., they are now believed to be in Brazil.

ponzi