Theft by false pretenses: A Saratoga resident reported that someone contacted them online and ultimately convinced them to invest money in a fraudulent cryptocurrency scheme for a total loss of about $58,000.
In April, crypto investors brought a federal class action lawsuit against Benjamin Chow, cofounder of crypto exchange Meteora, and Hayden Davis, cofounder of crypto venture capital firm Kelsier Labs, among other defendants, accusing them of a multimillion-dollar fraud involving a single memecoin, $M3M3. Later, the plaintiffs filed an amended complaint, expanding the allegations to include racketeering activity. They claimed the pair had colluded to rig the market for $LIBRA, a coin promoted by Javier Milei, president of Argentina, which collapsed in value shortly after launch.
Federal prosecutors have seized $15 billion from the alleged kingpin of an operation that used imprisoned laborers to trick unsuspecting people into making investments in phony funds, often after spending months faking romantic relationships with the victims. Such " pig butchering" scams have operated for years. They typically work when members of the operation initiate conversations with people on social media and then spend months messaging them. Often, the scammers pose as attractive individuals who feign romantic interest for the victim.
The trial for an investor who allegedly kidnapped Ontario's self-proclaimed 'Crypto King' after losing hundreds of thousands of dollars to him is set to begin Tuesday in Toronto. Akil Heywood, 41, is facing three charges related to the alleged kidnapping of Aiden Pleterski in early December 2022, and two counts of extortion. Heywood was one of five men charged in July 2023 in connection with the alleged kidnapping.
Hardy noticed elderly women entering the gas station with bags of cash on three separate occasions, looking anxious and usually on the phone or texting someone. Each time, they used the Bitcoin ATM, or BTM, to convert their dead presidents into crypto. Suspecting something fishy was afoot, Hardy gently prodded the old ladies. "Do you know where you're sending the money to?" Hardy would ask, per . "You don't have to be on the phone to send money, as long as you have the other person's information."
