Although the value of stolen crypto is astounding, not everything is about money. In 2018, Mashable examined the largest crypto scams of 2021. Yes, substantial funds were channeled through the scams and schemes on that list. Nevertheless, the daring and originality of some of these scams and hacks — committed by individuals who only walk away with six figures worth of stolen cryptocurrency — are occasionally noteworthy.So, without further ado, here is the largest and most audacious cryptocurrency scammer list from 2022 thus far.
1. Axie Infinity Scam: $615 Million was Stolen
Would you notice if $615 million was stolen from you? Sky Mavis, the developer of the most popular cryptocurrency game, Axie Infinity, did not. In March, hackers identified a vulnerability in the Ronin blockchain, the Ethereum-based sidechain on which Axie Infinity operates. In addition, the vulnerability was a result of a reported temporary adjustment that Sky Mavis implemented in December that decreased security protocols. A few months later, the hackers were able to take advantage of the circumstance because the situation had not been reversed. How did Sky Mavis find that hundreds of millions of dollars were missing? A user attempted to withdraw funds but was unable to since there was no longer sufficient liquidity. Axie Infinity is a play-to-earn cryptocurrency game that needs gamers to acquire pricey NFTs before to playing. After acquiring these NFTs, players can earn fiat currency in the form of cryptocurrency by playing the game. Due to the high cost of entrance, however, users who cannot afford the NFTs frequently become entangled in exploitative “scholarships” that force them to divide the profits with other users who give out these expensive NFTs. However, in nations such as the Philippines, play-to-earn games like as Axie Infinity have become popular because users can earn the equivalent of their country’s average salary. Unfortunately, these consumers discovered that their earnings were inaccessible owing to the attack. Since then, Axie Infinity has raised $125 million to compensate its users for cash that were stolen. However, this is a fraction of the $625 million they lost. As for that money, they will probably never receive it back. The United States government believes the breach was carried out by a North Korean organization.
2. Donors are Repelled by Ukraine Rug
One of these cons is not like the others, and that is when the Ukrainian government swindled its donors. Nonetheless, it must be included since it is so exceptional: a rare “good” hoax. Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the Ukrainian government swiftly decided to accept cryptocurrency donations in order to take advantage of the deep pockets in the crypto field who are always eager to pump their coins and generate positive headlines. After Ukraine announced an airdrop for people who donated via the Ethereum network, a flood of cryptocurrency began to stream in. An airdrop is essentially when crypto wallet owners receive free gifts, typically in the form of crypto tokens or non-fungible tokens (NFTs). According to Ukraine, they were sending donors a “reward” for their contributions. Just days after it was announced, Ukraine decided to cancel the airdrop. Some contributors seeking these profits yelled “scam” Moreover, this is formally termed as a rug pull. A rug pull occurs when a developer of a cryptocurrency makes promises to gather cash, abandons the project, and walks away with all the liquidity. But, this circumstance is absolutely exceptional. Ukraine was attempting to gather funds, believed they would thank well-intentioned donations, and then pulled the plug when they saw people were using the situation. However, the contributions went to a philanthropic cause. So, let’s call this a permanent rug pull. Therefore, it is at the top of the list. Enter the actors of evil faith. To take advantage of the airdrop, a wave of bitcoin donations were sent to Ukraine. In less than 2 days, about 60,00 transactions were conducted on the Ethereum blockchain in Ukraine. According to Ukrainian officials, people began sending miniscule amounts of money in order to register in time for the airdrop. Supposedly, these individuals sought to benefit from a war-torn nation by receiving a “prize” more valuable than the amount of money they contributed in order to sell the free item for a quick profit.
3.Someone Stole Seth Green’s Bored Ape
The apes of actor Seth Green were stolen. After falling victim to a phishing scam in May, the creator of Robot Chicken had his entire NFT collection stolen. Green’s NFT losses included his Bored Ape Yacht Club #8398, two Mutant Apes, which is another NFT creation by Yuga Labs, and a Doodle NFT. However, as you can see, Green lost significantly more than the anticipated hundreds of thousands of dollars in resale value of his NFTs. The actor has been working on the White Horse Tavern comedy series, which contains numerous NFT characters throughout. Fred Simian, also known as Bored Ape #8398, is the protagonist of the series. Bored Ape owners own a license to the intellectual property for their particular apes and can do whatever they want with them: sell merchandise, make video games, produce a sitcom, etc. This was Green’s dilemma. Whoever took his Bored Ape sold it on the secondary market to a collector, meaning that Seth Green no longer had the rights to Fred Simian. Bored Ape owners own a license to the intellectual property for their particular apes and can do whatever they want with them: sell merchandise, make video games, produce a sitcom, etc. This was Green’s dilemma. Whoever took his Bored Ape sold it on the secondary market to a collector, meaning that Seth Green no longer had the rights to Fred Simian. Fortunately, Green was recently able to get his Bored Ape back…at a cost of $297,000. That is correct. He paid double the six-figure amount for his Bored Ape. If you’re familiar with the non-fungible token market, you may be thinking that NFTs are frequently stolen. In fact, Yuga Labs’ social media networks were compromised this month, causing Bored Ape holders to lose more than Seth Green. Why therefore emphasis on Green’s case? I cannot think of another NFT-related scam that highlights the industry’s many weaknesses this year. In a crypto fraud, a celebrity had their NFTs and intellectual property stolen, and they did not know what to do. In the end, they were forced to purchase their stolen goods back. What are you going to do if this occurs to you as well?
4. BBC Duped into Endorsing a Purported Cryptocurrency Fraudster
Everyone enjoys rags-to-riches tales. Apparently, the BBC was so enamored with this story that they neglected to conduct a thorough background check on the man in issue, who became wealthy through crypto fraud. In February, the BBC published a report about Hanad Hassan, a Birmingham-based cryptocurrency investor. The article claimed that Hassan invested £50 in cryptocurrency last year and turned it into millions! That’s not everything. The article also described how Hassan intended to use his newly acquired fortune to benefit the community. The internet was rife with allegations that Hassan had defrauded them. Hassan released Orfano, a “charity token,” in April 2021. In addition to being an investment in cryptocurrency, 3 percent of the cash would be put aside to assist charitable organizations. This is a frequent approach used by crypto scammers to convince investors that they are investing in something legitimate and worthwhile. Later on, Orfano abruptly ceased operations, taking everyone’s assets with it. There was no withdrawal option available for users. A month later, Hassan relaunched Orfano as OrfanoX and repeated the same strategy with new token investors. And now the BBC would announce his “good fortune!”
The story is so absurd that David Gerard, a cryptocurrency critic and author of the book “Attack of the 50 Foot Blockchain,” submitted it to me as one of the first. According to Gerard, not only did the BBC publish a puff piece about the crypto fraudster Hanad Hassan, but they also made a 30-minute documentary titled We Are England: Birmingham’s Self-Made Crypto-Millionaire. The February broadcast was canceled only hours before it was scheduled to run.