1. 💰 Briton Sued Over £330M Crypto Ponzi
Peter McInnes, a businessman from Liverpool, is being sued in New York for allegedly running a £330 million Ponzi scheme via TradeAI and Stakx, leaving investors stranded after withdrawals were shut down—and then resurfacing in Dubai’s art scene .
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2. 🌍 €540M Laundering Ring Busted in Spain
Europol and Spanish police have dismantled a massive crypto laundering outfit responsible for processing €460 million (~$540 million) through shell companies across the Canary Islands, Madrid, France, Estonia, and Hong Kong .
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3. 🚨 ‘Digital Arrest’ Scam in India
Three scammers in Thane (Mumbai area) pretended to be law enforcement, coercing a victim into handing over Rs 3.04 crore (~$370k), which they promptly converted into crypto—then vanished .
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4. 🏠 Crypto Heists Going Physical
Over 231 physical attacks—from burglary to kidnapping—targeting crypto holders occurred globally in 18 months, including a Karachi trader who lost $340k. Many are now hiring bodyguards .
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5. 🕵️ FATF Warns: $51B in Dirty Crypto Flows
The Financial Action Task Force revealed that illicit crypto transfers hit $51 billion in 2024, with only 40 out of 138 countries fully compliant—highlighting North Korea-linked hacks like the ByBit $1.5 billion heist .
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6. 🇺🇸 U.S. Cracks Down on North Korean Hackers
Authorities are taking action against Lazarus Group for their role in a $620 million crypto hack and targeting laundering operations like Cambodia’s Huione Group and Tornado Cash’s Roman Storm .
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7. 🇦🇺 $190M Money Laundering Bust in Australia
The Australian Federal Police arrested four in a massive laundering operation funneling $190 million through a Gold Coast security firm—some laundrered via crypto .
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8. ⚠️ DOJ Targets $225M Pig-Butchering Scams
The U.S. DOJ filed to seize $225.3 million from “pig‑butchering” romance scams run via Tether. Scammers targeted victims through emotional manipulation across Southeast Asia .
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💥 Why It Matters
Scams and fraud are scaling into real-world violence and cross-border operations.
Authorities worldwide are cracking down hard—this is no longer “digital-only.”
Investor awareness and caution must be higher than ever