#fraud

Citing potential fraud risks, British banking titan Chase has chosen to halt cryptocurrency-related payments from October 16th. "If we think you're making a payment related to crypto assets, we'll decline it," was the message relayed to clients via email. The bank also emphasized that those intent on investing in cryptocurrencies have the liberty to switch to other banks or providers.

The FTX founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, has publicly declared his innocence. He responded to charges of fraud, money laundering, and recent allegations concerning breaches of election campaign finance laws. He articulated his defense on August 22nd in the Southern District Court of New York.

Hayden Adams, the founder of Uniswap Labs, has dismissed a developer known by the pseudonym AzFlin following allegations of creating a FrensTech meme coin and then withdrawing liquidity shortly after its launch. Preliminary damages are estimated at 14 wETH, equivalent to approximately $25,830. Adams stressed that the company does not condone such actions and, therefore, felt compelled to respond accordingly. The developer denies the accusations of fraud and describes the situation as FUD. According to him, he only withdrew 1 ETH from the liquidity pool, which he had initially provided from his own funds.

But officials are concerned about potential negative impacts on consumers, according to Semafor media. The fear is that an indictment could trigger a run on the exchange, leading to consumer losses and causing panic in the crypto markets, similar to what happened with FTX, which eventually went bankrupt. As a result, prosecutors are exploring alternative options such as fines and deferred or non-prosecution agreements.

Michael and Amanda Griffis are in hot water with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as the agency alleges the couple pulled off a grand-scale fraud. Operating under the auspicious name "Blessings of God Thru Crypto," they enticed over 100 individuals to contribute to their digital assets commodity pool. Accumulating over $6 million, the couple promised high returns and security for the pooled resources. According to CFTC, these pledges were not only empty but the pooled funds frequently ended up mingling with the Griffis' personal finances.

At the Intersekt 2023 fintech conference, top executives from Australian crypto firms addressed the growing concern of fraud in the sector. Their consensus? Educating users about scammers' tactics can drastically cut down on fraud incidents. Instead of simply responding to issues, the focus should be on proactive prevention. The discussion also pointed out that the responsibility for curbing crypto scams doesn't just fall on the crypto industry — it's shared by banks, social media platforms, and telecom companies as well.

OpenSea Head of Product Receives Prison SentenceNate Chastain has been sentenced to three months in prison for engaging in insider trades that amounted to $50,000. Chastain, aged 33, was found guilty of fraud and money laundering in a federal court in New York in May. This case marked the conclusion of what prosecutors deemed the first significant NFT insider trading case. Chastain profited by purchasing and selling at least 45 NFTs he was aware would be featured on OpenSea’s homepage. U.S. Attorney stated, “Today’s sentence should serve as a warning to other corporate insiders that insider trading – in any marketplace – will not be tolerated.”

Several leading venture capital companies such as Temasek, Sequoia Capital, and Softbank, are now facing legal challenges over alleged complicity in FTX fraud. The claimants in the lawsuit accuse the investors of using their power and financial resources to support the exchange's activities, despite numerous legal violations and misappropriation of customer funds by FTX. For instance, before the eventual bankruptcy of the exchange, Temasek affirmed that their rigorous eight-month scrutiny of financial aspects and compliance standards yielded no troubling findings.

Craig Wright, who asserts he is Bitcoin's creator, has lost his libel case appeal against Peter McCormack. Wright had claimed McCormack damaged his reputation by calling him a fraud who didn't invent Bitcoin. Initially, the court found McCormack's comments defamatory but reduced damages to £1 due to Wright's conduct. The UK Court of Appeal upheld this decision, stating Wright failed to produce adequate evidence for his claims.