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Murat

Open Trade
BNB Holder
BNB Holder
Frequent Trader
4.5 Years
Associate Professor of Strategy - Istanbul University
4 Following
20 Followers
28 Liked
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Portfolio
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Bullish
Welcome to the Intersection of Strategy and Cryptocurrency! Hi there! I'm Murat, your navigator in the ever-evolving world of cryptocurrency. With a keen eye for strategy and a rich background in teaching, I'm here to offer a unique perspective on crypto - one that goes beyond just technical analysis. Having spent years honing my expertise in statistical analysis, I bring a distinct blend of academic rigor and practical insights. This unique approach allows me to delve deep into the crypto sphere, uncovering trends and patterns that might escape the usual analyses. But that's not all! My passion for discovery drives me to explore the frontiers of cryptocurrency, where I seek out and analyze new and emerging projects. Over the years, I've developed a knack for spotting 'hidden gems' in the crypto world - those exceptional projects that are poised for significant impact but haven't yet caught the mainstream eye. So, whether you're a crypto enthusiast, a curious observer, or somewhere in between, join me as we decode the complexities, uncover the potentials, and navigate the exciting journey that cryptocurrency presents. Let's explore, learn, and grow together in this dynamic digital realm!
Welcome to the Intersection of Strategy and Cryptocurrency!

Hi there! I'm Murat, your navigator in the ever-evolving world of cryptocurrency. With a keen eye for strategy and a rich background in teaching, I'm here to offer a unique perspective on crypto - one that goes beyond just technical analysis.

Having spent years honing my expertise in statistical analysis, I bring a distinct blend of academic rigor and practical insights. This unique approach allows me to delve deep into the crypto sphere, uncovering trends and patterns that might escape the usual analyses.

But that's not all! My passion for discovery drives me to explore the frontiers of cryptocurrency, where I seek out and analyze new and emerging projects. Over the years, I've developed a knack for spotting 'hidden gems' in the crypto world - those exceptional projects that are poised for significant impact but haven't yet caught the mainstream eye.

So, whether you're a crypto enthusiast, a curious observer, or somewhere in between, join me as we decode the complexities, uncover the potentials, and navigate the exciting journey that cryptocurrency presents.

Let's explore, learn, and grow together in this dynamic digital realm!
No delisting!
50%
Few delisting!
0%
Many delisting!
50%
2 votes • Voting closed
this post proves my thesis: Pi maxis and Xrp maxis are either same people or both are "special"
this post proves my thesis: Pi maxis and Xrp maxis are either same people or both are "special"
F A R U K
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Bullish
crypto prediction for 2026.....
$BTC
$ETH
$SOL
The Pi Network (kyc) Scam: A Digital Mirage?The Pi Network, once hailed as a revolutionary mobile-first cryptocurrency, is increasingly being criticized as a well-orchestrated digital illusion. While it attracted millions with the promise of “mining” Pi coins through a simple smartphone app, the project’s opaque practices and stalled progress now raise serious concerns about its legitimacy. The KYC Bottleneck: A Convenient Delay At the heart of the controversy is the Know Your Customer (KYC) process. Despite years of operation, a significant portion of early adopters—“Pioneers” with large Pi balances—remain stuck in KYC limbo. This deliberate stalling conveniently prevents these users from accessing or liquidating their holdings, all while new tokens are quietly introduced into the ecosystem. This controlled restriction on supply keeps demand artificially high, benefiting those behind the scenes who can sell at will. Where Are the Tokenomics? Unlike legitimate projects that offer clear tokenomics and transparent circulation data, Pi Network operates in a cloud of secrecy. Nobody knows the real circulating supply, nor the schedule of token releases. The so-called “Mainnet” has launched, but it’s largely a hollow construct with no meaningful utilities, decentralized applications, or economic activity. It exists more as a marketing narrative than a functioning blockchain. A Layer 1 Memecoin—But Worse If one were to compare Pi Network to a memecoin like Dogecoin, the latter ironically comes out ahead. Despite its meme origins, Dogecoin is decentralized, fully tradable, and backed by an active community. Pi, on the other hand, is essentially a gamified experience masquerading as a cryptocurrency. It lacks real decentralization, a free market for its token, or any viable on-chain economy. Conclusion: A Cautionary Tale Pi Network increasingly looks like a cautionary example of how hype, vague promises, and lack of transparency can sustain a pseudo-crypto ecosystem far longer than it should. Until the team offers full transparency on tokenomics, enables unrestricted KYC for all users, and delivers real-world utility beyond speculative promises, it remains more of a social experiment—or worse, a cleverly disguised centralized scam—than a legitimate crypto project. #PiCoreTeam #PiScamOrNot #PiNetworkkyc

The Pi Network (kyc) Scam: A Digital Mirage?

The Pi Network, once hailed as a revolutionary mobile-first cryptocurrency, is increasingly being criticized as a well-orchestrated digital illusion. While it attracted millions with the promise of “mining” Pi coins through a simple smartphone app, the project’s opaque practices and stalled progress now raise serious concerns about its legitimacy.
The KYC Bottleneck: A Convenient Delay
At the heart of the controversy is the Know Your Customer (KYC) process. Despite years of operation, a significant portion of early adopters—“Pioneers” with large Pi balances—remain stuck in KYC limbo. This deliberate stalling conveniently prevents these users from accessing or liquidating their holdings, all while new tokens are quietly introduced into the ecosystem. This controlled restriction on supply keeps demand artificially high, benefiting those behind the scenes who can sell at will.
Where Are the Tokenomics?
Unlike legitimate projects that offer clear tokenomics and transparent circulation data, Pi Network operates in a cloud of secrecy. Nobody knows the real circulating supply, nor the schedule of token releases. The so-called “Mainnet” has launched, but it’s largely a hollow construct with no meaningful utilities, decentralized applications, or economic activity. It exists more as a marketing narrative than a functioning blockchain.
A Layer 1 Memecoin—But Worse
If one were to compare Pi Network to a memecoin like Dogecoin, the latter ironically comes out ahead. Despite its meme origins, Dogecoin is decentralized, fully tradable, and backed by an active community. Pi, on the other hand, is essentially a gamified experience masquerading as a cryptocurrency. It lacks real decentralization, a free market for its token, or any viable on-chain economy.
Conclusion: A Cautionary Tale
Pi Network increasingly looks like a cautionary example of how hype, vague promises, and lack of transparency can sustain a pseudo-crypto ecosystem far longer than it should. Until the team offers full transparency on tokenomics, enables unrestricted KYC for all users, and delivers real-world utility beyond speculative promises, it remains more of a social experiment—or worse, a cleverly disguised centralized scam—than a legitimate crypto project.
#PiCoreTeam #PiScamOrNot #PiNetworkkyc
Tell this to $LUNA and $OM investors. :)
Tell this to $LUNA and $OM investors. :)
MrRUHUL
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One of these drivers bought at the top and sold at the bottom.
Guess who. 👀 #HODL #CryptoLife
you have roughly about 800 BNB and you are in asking for 2000k? :)
you have roughly about 800 BNB and you are in asking for 2000k? :)
Roaring Kitty
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#Launchpool I got 1900+ WCT token from #BinanceLaunchPool🔥

Listing price is 0.4 right?
It must be staking. go to kermel dao and unstake :)
It must be staking. go to kermel dao and unstake :)
Muzfar9
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$BNB
What is this ? Can you explain?
What is contract call??
Experts please reply
Binance took my 17$ of $BNB and just deposited 5.56$ $KERNEL in my spot account
Check the pic 👇
what do you smoke?
what do you smoke?
Poor guy not chill guy
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94% of the assets are $XRP . What's your thought on this guys?
scam. do not click
scam. do not click
Quoted content has been removed
this is a scam! do not fall for this! tokens are not transferable yet. also this is a scammer website ;)
this is a scam! do not fall for this! tokens are not transferable yet. also this is a scammer website ;)
Quoted content has been removed
how much are you willing to pay per token? :)
how much are you willing to pay per token? :)
Season Seung
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please guide from where to buy $wct token before listing on bianace ??? other than bnb steaking method ?

????))))??????
well, you are right. but now make a list of top 100 coins as well :) and lets see the green candles there? :) statistics is the best way to manipulate is it not?
well, you are right. but now make a list of top 100 coins as well :) and lets see the green candles there? :) statistics is the best way to manipulate is it not?
Ajay Kashyap_
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Binance listings data reveal Out of 27 new tokens listed on Binance in 2025, only 3 are in the green as of April 1st.

89% failure rate and many down 70-90%.
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Bullish
$PI
10%
$DOG
3%
$PAWS
86%
OTHER - mention below
1%
69 votes • Voting closed
PI NETWORK SCAM! A COMPLETE INVESTIGATIONInvestigation into Pi Network: Scam Allegations and Project Status Overview of Pi Network and Its Controvers Pi Network is a cryptocurrency project launched in 2019 with the promise of allowing users to “mine” Pi coins on their smartphones by simply tapping a button each day. The project quickly gained a massive following – reports claim over 60 million people have registered as “Pioneers” (users). Despite this growth, Pi Network has courted significant controversy. For years, users accumulated Pi tokens in the mobile app while the project’s “mainnet” (the live blockchain) remained in a restricted state, preventing any external transactions. This has led to widespread debate on whether Pi Network is a legitimate crypto innovation or a cleverly disguised scam. Below, we examine the key allegations and facts surrounding Pi Network, including analyses by experts, user experiences, token distribution details, the status of its mainnet, financial transparency, and official responses from the Pi team. Reports and Analyses: Is Pi Network Legitimate or a Scam? Multiple red flags have led observers to question Pi Network’s legitimacy. Analysts have likened Pi’s model to a pyramid scheme, pointing out that the project’s referral-based growth and token lock-up incentives resemble Ponzi-like tactics used by scams such as Bitconnect. In fact, the CEO of crypto exchange Bybit, Ben Zhou, publicly labeled Pi Network a scam in early 2025, citing a 2023 warning from Chinese police that Pi Network was a fraud targeting elderly people – stealing personal data and even pension money. Skeptics also note that Pi’s user metrics seem implausible: while the team claims over 60 million users, the number of actual Pi wallets (especially active wallets) is only a fraction of that, suggesting the reported user base “does not align with reality”. Another concern is Pi’s token supply – the circulating supply doubled within a year, an inflation rate that could severely dilute any future value of the coins. Critics argue that Pi’s “mining” mechanism is a superficial gimmick. Users tap a button to earn Pi, but this activity doesn’t correspond to any real cryptographic work; instead, the app displays ads, implying the project may be more focused on collecting ad revenue and personal data (via mandatory KYC identity checks) than on delivering value to users. This has led to accusations that Pi Network is exploiting its users’ trust: as one report bluntly put it, *“are users just pawns in a system that capitalizes on their shared trust?”*. Even CoinMarketCap, a leading crypto data site, has attached warnings to its Pi Network listing, noting that the mainnet hadn’t launched (at the time) and questioning Pi’s legitimacy – cautioning that exchange prices reflected unverified IOUs rather than real Pi tokens. On the other hand, Pi Network’s advocates and core team reject the scam label. They emphasize the project’s unprecedented scale and novel approach. For example, crypto analyst Kim Wong defended Pi Network’s credibility ahead of the recent mainnet launch, highlighting its *“instant cross-border transactions, a free mobile mining model, and unmatched user adoption”*. He and other supporters argue that Pi has distributed coins to millions of people globally for free, which they view as evidence that Pi is “distributing wealth to anyone who wants it” rather than defrauding users. The Pi Network team also points to technical aspects of its blockchain – claiming it is decentralized, scalable, secure, and building a Web3 ecosystem – as signs that the project is a genuine cryptocurrency in development. By late 2024, Pi Network reported having about 18–19 million KYC-verified users and roughly 10 million users with Pi in their wallets on the mainnet. These figures are used by Pi’s founders to demonstrate that they are making progress (albeit slower than critics would like) in onboarding real users to a functioning network. In short, Pi’s legitimacy is fiercely debated: many in the crypto community remain skeptical and warn it shows classic scam indicators, while others maintain it is an innovative project that’s simply taking a long-term approach. User Testimonials and Complaints User experiences with Pi Network often tell a frustrating story, especially regarding the KYC process and the inability to access funds. A common complaint is KYC (Know Your Customer) verification failures. To access Pi’s mainnet and eventually use their Pi coins, users must pass an identity verification. However, millions of users have been stuck in KYC limbo, sometimes for months on end. As of late 2024, Pi’s team claimed to have verified around 14–18 million people, but many others either had no KYC “slot” available or saw their applications rejected without clear reason. Pi Network’s support channels have advised users to double-check and resubmit their details or even spend some Pi to correct their name, then appeal the decision. Despite these instructions, the backlog remained large, with some users reporting that they had been awaiting KYC approval since early 2023. This drawn-out process has led to anxiety and resentment in the community, as people worry they may never actually claim the coins they’ve been “mining” for years. Even those who do clear KYC have faced the core issue of being unable to withdraw or use Pi tokens outside the app. Until very recently, Pi Network operated in an “Enclosed Mainnet” phase – essentially a closed-off blockchain. Users could see their Pi balance in a Pi wallet, but transferring Pi to any external exchange or converting it to cash was impossible by design. For most of Pi’s existence, there was no official way to withdraw; the Pi you earned stayed in the Pi ecosystem, where it could only be used in limited ways (e.g. transactions with other Pi users or Pi-approved apps). This led to growing skepticism and anger from users: after years of tapping the mine button daily, many felt they had nothing of real value. “Participants in the Pi Network cannot exchange their Pi coins for fiat currency,” one review noted starkly. Some early adopters even lamented that they “lost their time” on Pi, since the project kept them waiting so long for a promised open network that might never materialize. There are also numerous reports of poor communication and support from the Pi Network team when users encounter problems. On social media and forums, frustrated Pi users have shared stories of “missing” Pi coins (for example, due to technical glitches or account issues) and an apparent lack of response from Pi’s support team. In one roundup of community feedback, many investors expressed anger at Pi’s lack of customer support, describing failed attempts to get help or answers from the team after KYC failures or lost tokens. This silence from the Pi support channels has deepened some users’ fears that the project might not be acting in good faith. While Pi’s official communications often celebrate milestones or announce new features, individual users who run into issues report feeling abandoned or ignored by the company, which is not typical of reputable projects with active community management. Token Distribution and Withdrawal Evidence One crucial question in evaluating Pi Network is whether the Pi coins actually reach users in a meaningful way – i.e. who holds the tokens, and has anyone been able to cash them out? Until the end of 2024, the evidence suggested that Pi’s distribution was largely on paper, not in practice. According to the project’s own data, by late 2024 about 9 million users had migrated their Pi balances to the mainnet (meaning those users passed KYC and moved their mined Pi out of the app’s provisional balance into the Pi blockchain). This is a subset of the tens of millions of total sign-ups – indicating that only a portion of users have fully “unlocked” their Pi within the network. Moreover, throughout the Enclosed Mainnet period, no withdrawals to external wallets or exchanges were possible. The Pi Core Team maintained a firewall isolating the Pi blockchain from other networks, so even those 8–9 million mainnet users could not trade their coins outside Pi’s closed economy. In essence, until recently, no Pi user had truly received a spendable/token that could be sold on the open market. The only entities confirmed to have Pi liquidity were the Pi Network team themselves and possibly a few businesses participating in Pi’s enclosed marketplace. (Some third-party exchanges did list Pi as an IOU token in late 2022, but as the Pi team pointed out, those were unauthorized and not backed by actual transferable Pi.) This situation started to change in early 2025. On February 20, 2025, Pi Network launched its “Open Mainnet,” ending the enclosed period and theoretically allowing external transactions. Following this launch, several cryptocurrency exchanges (such as OKX, Bitget, and others) listed the Pi token for trading on the same day. For the first time, a market price for Pi could be established with real liquidity. In the initial days of trading, Pi’s price was extremely volatile: the coin surged nearly 100% to about $2.99 at its peak on launch day, then **plunged by over 50% within hours (dropping to around $0.90-$1.00)**. By the next day, Pi was trading below $0.80, reflecting a 56% decline from the high. This rollercoaster implied that some holders were able to sell a significant amount of Pi once markets opened – likely those whose tokens were not locked up. It’s worth noting that a large portion of Pi pioneers chose to lock their coins even after migration (for bonuses or out of faith in the project). According to blockchain data, as of early 2025 about 63% of Pi mainnet accounts locked their Pi for a 3-year term and another 14% locked theirs for 1 year, meaning only roughly 23% of holders had Pi immediately available for trading. This locking mechanism may have limited the flood of sell orders at launch. Nonetheless, the fact that the price collapsed so quickly suggests that some early holders rushed to liquidate, which is typical when a previously illiquid token finally becomes sellable. In terms of who has actually received Pi tokens, the vast majority are the community of users (“Pioneers”) who mined via the app, but their access is staggered. Pi’s token distribution model set a maximum supply of 100 billion Pi, of which 80% is allocated to the community and 20% to the Pi Core Team. Importantly, the core team’s 20% share is vested at the same rate as the community’s mining distribution – the team cannot unlock all their tokens until users collectively unlock an equivalent proportion of theirs. As a result, in early 2025, although billions of Pi exist within the network, only a small fraction is circulating externally. Pi Network recently announced plans to unlock 188 million Pi tokens in March 2025 for around 1.1 million users, expanding the amount of Pi that those users can transfer or trade. These gradual unlocks are intended to give more users access to their coins (and potentially relieve some pent-up withdrawal demand) while avoiding an overwhelming surge of selling at once. It remains to be seen how many Pi users will actually move their tokens to exchanges and cash out versus keep them within the ecosystem. At this stage, however, it’s clear that only a very small subset of users (relative to Pi’s total user count) have successfully withdrawn Pi tokens in any form, and those who have were only able to do so starting in February 2025 when exchanges opened trading. Pi Network Mainnet Functionality and Transparency From a technical standpoint, Pi Network’s blockchain development has been opaque and significantly delayed compared to industry norms. The Pi Core Team launched a prototype mainnet in December 2021 but kept it firewalled (Enclosed Network) for over two years. During this period, Pi Network touted various milestones – KYC verification drives, Pi app ecosystem projects, etc. – yet outsiders could not independently verify the state of the blockchain. Only trusted nodes controlled by the Pi team were operating on mainnet for much of this time, which meant the network was effectively centralized in the hands of its creators. This contradicts the spirit of decentralization that most crypto projects strive for. The Pi whitepaper (released in 2019 and updated chapters in 2021) described a consensus algorithm based on Stellar’s Federated Byzantine Agreement, theoretically allowing a set of distributed nodes to secure the network. In practice, however, Pi did not invite the broader community to run nodes that could participate in consensus on the closed mainnet, raising concerns that the project was running a closed database while advertising a “decentralized” crypto. Transparency has also been a sticking point. Many critics have noted that Pi’s documentation is vague on technical details. In fact, Pi’s published “whitepaper” is more of a general manifesto and roadmap; it lacks concrete specifications of the protocol and no open-source code or block explorer was initially available to scrutinize. (A Pi Block Explorer was later released, allowing users to see transactions on the Pi blockchain, but this only came after the project had been operational for quite some time and still within the enclosed phase.) The combination of a long delay and limited transparency led to mounting skepticism. By late 2024 – over four years since Pi’s launch – the mainnet was still not fully open, whereas most legitimate blockchain projects tend to deliver a working network in 1–2 years. Pi’s team repeatedly pushed back the timeline, saying that they wanted to onboard more users and apps before opening the network and to close the gap between KYC-verified users and those who have migrated to mainnet. While this cautious approach could be seen as “methodical development,” it also fueled speculation that Pi had underlying issues preventing a full launch. Some community members grew concerned that the project might never transition to an open network, which would render their Pi coins permanently trapped and **“worthless” in any real sense. Now that Pi Network has finally initiated its Open Mainnet, there is an expectation for greater transparency and functionality. The network is purportedly operational and supports transactions among users and Pi apps, but it is too early to fully assess how robust or decentralized it truly is. Key questions remain: How many independent nodes are there? Who controls the majority of voting power in consensus? Is the code open-source for the community to audit? As of this investigation, Pi Network’s core software is not widely published for public review, and it’s unclear if community nodes can join the network permissionlessly yet. The Pi Block Explorer does show basic information like total supply, circulating Pi, and transactions, which is a step toward transparency. For instance, one can observe that Pi’s supply continues to increase as mining by users ongoing – a fact that underscores earlier concerns about inflation (more Pi being created over time diluting each coin’s value). Ultimately, the true test of Pi’s mainnet will be in the coming months: if it remains only minimally functional and dominated by the core team’s servers, then claims of decentralization are dubious. If instead Pi gradually decentralizes control and proves its technology in the open, some of the skepticism may be alleviated. At present, however, Pi Network’s blockchain is not yet fully proven to outside observers, and the project’s transparency, while improving slightly, still lags behind what is expected of major crypto networks. Financial Transparency and Potential Risks Another aspect of the Pi Network saga is the project’s financial model and the core team’s transparency (or lack thereof) about it. Unlike many crypto startups, Pi Network did not conduct an ICO (Initial Coin Offering) or sell its tokens to the public early on. This means public information on its funding is limited. However, it is known that Pi Network raised some venture capital: in 2019 and 2020, the team secured funding via private SAFEs (Simple Agreements for Future Equity) at about a $20 million valuation. Beyond that, Pi’s monetization has mainly come from its huge user base. The Pi mobile app runs advertisement banners and videos that users see each time they engage with the mining button. With tens of millions of active users tapping the app daily, this could generate substantial ad revenue for the Pi Core Team. Indeed, critics argue that the users, in effect, “pay” through their attention and data – Pi mining is free in terms of money, but users watch ads (benefiting Pi Network financially) and submit personal information for KYC. The mandatory KYC itself has raised eyebrows; Pi uses a proprietary KYC solution and even allows community members to act as validators of others’ IDs. Some analysts note that a large verified user base is valuable in itself – those KYC’d users’ data can enhance ad targeting and potentially be monetized. Pi’s team insists that KYC is only for compliance and to ensure real human users, but the side effect is a trove of verified data that few other projects have. How Pi Network handles this data and revenue is not fully disclosed, as the company is private and not very communicative about its finances. Internally, Pi Network has faced turmoil over money and leadership. In 2020, one of Pi’s co-founders, Vincent McPhilip, filed a lawsuit against the other two founders (Dr. Nicolas Kokkalis and Dr. Chengdiao Fan). He alleged that he was pushed out of the company unfairly and that the remaining founders mishandled financial resources. The lawsuit claimed that Kokkalis and Fan attempted to dilute McPhilip’s shares in Pi Network by issuing new stock at an extremely low price, and that they excluded him from access to company bank accounts and servers. The dispute also painted a picture of internal dysfunction (with personal conflicts between the founding couple spilling into the business). This legal battle was ultimately settled in July 2023 out of court (details were not made public), but it indicates that not all was smooth behind the scenes during Pi’s early growth. For observers, this raises concerns about governance and trustworthiness: if the founders had serious conflicts over money and control, how can users be sure that the project funds (or even the future huge supply of Pi coins) are being managed responsibly? A key worry for many in the community is whether the Pi Core Team might enrich itself at the expense of users. As noted, the team has a 20% allocation of Pi coins (up to 20 billion Pi) which vests alongside the community’s 80%. The Pi economic design means the core team cannot dump their entire stash immediately – they can only unlock coins in step with the network growth. This is a positive sign in theory, intended to align the team’s incentives with the users’. However, the sheer scale of Pi’s valuation on paper has made people nervous. For example, when some exchanges unilaterally listed Pi IOU tokens in late 2022, the price briefly spiked to absurd levels (over $300 per coin), which would imply a multitrillion-dollar market cap if taken at face value. The Pi Core Team at that time issued statements that those prices were meaningless and that Pi was not trading yet. Fast forward to early 2025: Pi is trading around $1 with a fully diluted valuation in the tens of billions of dollars. Even at $1, if the team eventually can access their full 20 billion Pi, that’s $20 billion worth of assets – a huge temptation. There is no evidence so far of the Pi team “cashing out” en masse (and they publicly refute any such claims). In fact, Pi’s rules would prevent an outright rug-pull dump due to the controlled vesting. Nonetheless, financial transparency remains limited – we do not have public audits of Pi Network’s finances, and the team’s other revenue (from ads or partnerships) is not reported openly. For users, one risk is that the team could be profiting handsomely from the project (through ads or even selling small amounts of Pi on exchanges via proxies) without the community’s knowledge. The lack of an open-source code or clear foundation structure means Pi Network doesn’t have the kind of third-party oversight that some other crypto projects (especially decentralized ones) have. This doesn’t prove malicious intent, but it does mean participants must largely trust the founders, which is exactly the kind of centralized trust blockchain technology is supposed to eliminate. In summary, while Pi Network hasn’t had a public token sale or obvious cash-grab event, it has monetized user activity in alternative ways and kept control tightly in the hands of its founders. The potential risks include: the team eventually enriching themselves through their token allocation (if the project succeeds), or the project failing and users’ years of accumulated Pi becoming worthless while the company still benefited from ad revenue and data. It’s a situation with asymmetrical outcomes – the core team carries relatively little financial risk (they didn’t charge money for Pi, and they earned revenue along the way), but the users carry a huge opportunity cost and personal data risk. This dynamic is one reason many in the crypto space urge caution with Pi Network, labeling it “too good to be true” or at least very different from the transparent, open models that bona fide crypto projects are expected to follow. Official Responses from the Pi Network Team The Pi Network core team is well aware of the scam allegations and user unrest, and they have issued several official responses over time to address these concerns – or to at least clarify their position. Early on, as users questioned the long wait for utility, the founders stressed that Pi was a “long-term project” and urged the community to be patient. Dr. Chengdiao Fan (a co-founder) reportedly posted messages to Pioneers not to let “the noises” distract them, implying that critics were spreading FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt) and that the faithful should focus on Pi’s mission (this was referenced in community discussions around the time the grace period for KYC was ending). More concretely, when some exchanges began listing Pi tokens without authorization in late 2022, the Pi Core Team responded firmly. On December 29, 2022, they reminded everyone that **“Pi is in Enclosed Mainnet with no external connectivity permitted. Pi Network isn’t affiliated with and hasn’t authorized any exchange listing. Such listings may not operate on real Pi. Participation may result in loss.”**. In January 2023, the team put out a press release and blog post disapproving those unauthorized listings and explaining that any tradeable Pi at that time was “not the real Pi token” since the network was firewalled. They even asked the exchanges to take down those fake Pi markets. This response was essentially to protect the community from buying what were IOUs or speculative contracts, and to reiterate that Pi coins could not leave the official network until the core team opened it. In February 2025, when the controversy peaked with Bybit’s CEO calling Pi a scam, Pi Network broke its silence with a detailed public statement. The team addressed Ben Zhou’s accusations point by point. First, regarding the Chinese police report that labeled Pi a scam: Pi Network clarified that the report referred to scammers impersonating Pi Network, not the project itself. They stated that no Chinese authority had ever contacted the Pi team about wrongdoing, and they condemned anyone using Pi’s name to defraud people. This was effectively Pi saying “we are not responsible for those third-party scams; we’re a legitimate project that unfortunately has copycats.” Next, Pi’s statement talked about its relationship (or lack thereof) with Bybit. The team emphasized they have no connection to Bybit or its CEO, and noted that Bybit never even requested the Pi team to undergo a listing review or “Know-Your-Business” process. (In contrast, exchanges like OKX and Bitget, which listed Pi, did coordinate with the Pi team for proper integration.) Pi Network also disavowed a certain social media post that had attacked Bybit; they said that post came from someone unaffiliated with Pi, and they do not support any Pi community members harassing or slandering exchanges. Crucially, to answer the big question “Is Pi Network a scam?”, the core team defended their legitimacy by citing the project’s track record. They pointed out that Pi Network has been operating for over 6 years without asking users for money, that it built a community of over 60 million real users, and that many other reputable projects also face impostors and scams trying to ride on their success. The underlying message was that Pi’s longevity and scale are proof of its earnest intentions – a scam, they imply, wouldn’t run this long or attract this many genuine participants. Additionally, around the same time, the Pi team released new Safety Guidelines on their official channels to educate users on how to avoid fake Pi apps or malicious actors. They consistently urge Pioneers to use only the official Pi app and websites, and to distrust anyone asking for money claiming to be Pi-related, since the core team’s policy is that mining Pi is free. It is worth noting that while the Pi Network team addresses specific incidents (like fake listings or public accusations) with statements, they have been less forthcoming on other fronts. For example, there hasn’t been a detailed public accounting of why the open network was delayed beyond the generic explanation of wanting more KYC’d users and a robust ecosystem. Also, individual user issues (KYC delays, support tickets) are typically handled via an in-app support portal or community moderators, rather than high-profile announcements. This sometimes gives the impression that Pi’s officials respond to PR crises but not to everyday user frustrations. In their defense, the core team likely has been overwhelmed managing such a large user base and building infrastructure; nonetheless, communication gaps have been a source of criticism. In summary, the official stance of Pi Network is that they are legitimate and committed to their vision. They acknowledge the skepticism but attribute it to misunderstandings or malicious third parties. They ask their community to “focus on what matters” – implying that building the network and ecosystem is more important than engaging with accusations. As the project transitions to the Open Mainnet, the Pi team expresses confidence that results will speak louder than words. Only time will tell if their assurances hold true and if Pi Network can shed the cloud of scam allegations that has hung over it. Conclusion The case of Pi Network is an unusual one in the cryptocurrency space. On one hand, it represents an ambitious experiment in bootstrapping a crypto community: tens of millions of people have been drawn in by the allure of “mining” crypto on their phones at no cost. The project has undeniably achieved a massive user base and prolonged those users’ engagement through a mix of game-like mechanics and community-building. On the other hand, Pi Network exhibits many of the hallmarks of projects that experts caution against: a vague timeline that kept shifting, a product that for a long time delivered no tangible value, heavy reliance on recruiting new users via referrals, and the collection of personal data under the pretext of KYC for an unlaunched coin. These factors, combined with the lack of external transparency during crucial development years, led to numerous accusations that Pi was a scam or pyramid scheme. Authorities in at least one country (China) outright labeled it a scam targeting vulnerable people, and seasoned crypto industry figures have raised serious concerns. Now that Pi Network’s coin is (apparently) live on an open mainnet and tradeable on some exchanges, the project is at a crossroads. If Pi Network is genuine, we should soon see clear evidence of a functioning, decentralized network and real utility for the Pi cryptocurrency. The team will need to continue improving transparency – perhaps by open-sourcing code, publishing audits, or allowing independent node operation – to win over skeptics. If those things happen, Pi might gradually prove its doubters wrong and develop into a legitimate crypto economy (though it would still face the challenge of creating lasting value for a coin that was handed out so freely). If Pi Network is not genuine, or if the core team fails to deliver on the open network promises, then the current tradable Pi may end up being just a brief speculative bubble. In that pessimistic scenario, users who spent years mining Pi could find their coins “worthless,” validating the warnings that have been voiced in reports and forums. Already, the steep drop in Pi’s price post-launch has been taken by some as a sign that reality is catching up to the hype. From an objective standpoint, it’s clear that significant risks remain for anyone involved with Pi Network. The project’s history of delays and the continued dominance of the core team in decision-making mean that caution is warranted. Prospective users or investors should carefully research and consider the credible analyses (and there are many) that question Pi’s model. At the same time, outright dismissing a project with such a large community is difficult – Pi Network is a real social phenomenon, if not yet a proven technological one. In closing, one should stay informed through official updates (being mindful of Pi’s warnings about unofficial platforms) and watch how Pi Network evolves in the coming months. This investigation has highlighted both the allegations of fraud and the counter-arguments from Pi’s proponents; the truth of Pi Network’s legitimacy will ultimately be demonstrated by what the project delivers now that the world is watching. Until then, skepticism and careful analysis remain the prudent approach. Sources: The information in this report is drawn from a range of sources, including crypto news outlets (CoinDesk, BeInCrypto, Cointelegraph and others), an in-depth CCN investigative article, official Pi Network communications, and numerous user reports and testimonials on forums and social media. Key references have been cited throughout the text for verification.

PI NETWORK SCAM! A COMPLETE INVESTIGATION

Investigation into Pi Network: Scam Allegations and Project Status
Overview of Pi Network and Its Controvers
Pi Network is a cryptocurrency project launched in 2019 with the promise of allowing users to “mine” Pi coins on their smartphones by simply tapping a button each day. The project quickly gained a massive following – reports claim over 60 million people have registered as “Pioneers” (users). Despite this growth, Pi Network has courted significant controversy. For years, users accumulated Pi tokens in the mobile app while the project’s “mainnet” (the live blockchain) remained in a restricted state, preventing any external transactions. This has led to widespread debate on whether Pi Network is a legitimate crypto innovation or a cleverly disguised scam. Below, we examine the key allegations and facts surrounding Pi Network, including analyses by experts, user experiences, token distribution details, the status of its mainnet, financial transparency, and official responses from the Pi team.
Reports and Analyses: Is Pi Network Legitimate or a Scam?
Multiple red flags have led observers to question Pi Network’s legitimacy. Analysts have likened Pi’s model to a pyramid scheme, pointing out that the project’s referral-based growth and token lock-up incentives resemble Ponzi-like tactics used by scams such as Bitconnect. In fact, the CEO of crypto exchange Bybit, Ben Zhou, publicly labeled Pi Network a scam in early 2025, citing a 2023 warning from Chinese police that Pi Network was a fraud targeting elderly people – stealing personal data and even pension money. Skeptics also note that Pi’s user metrics seem implausible: while the team claims over 60 million users, the number of actual Pi wallets (especially active wallets) is only a fraction of that, suggesting the reported user base “does not align with reality”. Another concern is Pi’s token supply – the circulating supply doubled within a year, an inflation rate that could severely dilute any future value of the coins.
Critics argue that Pi’s “mining” mechanism is a superficial gimmick. Users tap a button to earn Pi, but this activity doesn’t correspond to any real cryptographic work; instead, the app displays ads, implying the project may be more focused on collecting ad revenue and personal data (via mandatory KYC identity checks) than on delivering value to users. This has led to accusations that Pi Network is exploiting its users’ trust: as one report bluntly put it, *“are users just pawns in a system that capitalizes on their shared trust?”*. Even CoinMarketCap, a leading crypto data site, has attached warnings to its Pi Network listing, noting that the mainnet hadn’t launched (at the time) and questioning Pi’s legitimacy – cautioning that exchange prices reflected unverified IOUs rather than real Pi tokens.
On the other hand, Pi Network’s advocates and core team reject the scam label. They emphasize the project’s unprecedented scale and novel approach. For example, crypto analyst Kim Wong defended Pi Network’s credibility ahead of the recent mainnet launch, highlighting its *“instant cross-border transactions, a free mobile mining model, and unmatched user adoption”*. He and other supporters argue that Pi has distributed coins to millions of people globally for free, which they view as evidence that Pi is “distributing wealth to anyone who wants it” rather than defrauding users. The Pi Network team also points to technical aspects of its blockchain – claiming it is decentralized, scalable, secure, and building a Web3 ecosystem – as signs that the project is a genuine cryptocurrency in development. By late 2024, Pi Network reported having about 18–19 million KYC-verified users and roughly 10 million users with Pi in their wallets on the mainnet. These figures are used by Pi’s founders to demonstrate that they are making progress (albeit slower than critics would like) in onboarding real users to a functioning network. In short, Pi’s legitimacy is fiercely debated: many in the crypto community remain skeptical and warn it shows classic scam indicators, while others maintain it is an innovative project that’s simply taking a long-term approach.
User Testimonials and Complaints
User experiences with Pi Network often tell a frustrating story, especially regarding the KYC process and the inability to access funds. A common complaint is KYC (Know Your Customer) verification failures. To access Pi’s mainnet and eventually use their Pi coins, users must pass an identity verification. However, millions of users have been stuck in KYC limbo, sometimes for months on end. As of late 2024, Pi’s team claimed to have verified around 14–18 million people, but many others either had no KYC “slot” available or saw their applications rejected without clear reason. Pi Network’s support channels have advised users to double-check and resubmit their details or even spend some Pi to correct their name, then appeal the decision. Despite these instructions, the backlog remained large, with some users reporting that they had been awaiting KYC approval since early 2023. This drawn-out process has led to anxiety and resentment in the community, as people worry they may never actually claim the coins they’ve been “mining” for years.
Even those who do clear KYC have faced the core issue of being unable to withdraw or use Pi tokens outside the app. Until very recently, Pi Network operated in an “Enclosed Mainnet” phase – essentially a closed-off blockchain. Users could see their Pi balance in a Pi wallet, but transferring Pi to any external exchange or converting it to cash was impossible by design. For most of Pi’s existence, there was no official way to withdraw; the Pi you earned stayed in the Pi ecosystem, where it could only be used in limited ways (e.g. transactions with other Pi users or Pi-approved apps). This led to growing skepticism and anger from users: after years of tapping the mine button daily, many felt they had nothing of real value. “Participants in the Pi Network cannot exchange their Pi coins for fiat currency,” one review noted starkly. Some early adopters even lamented that they “lost their time” on Pi, since the project kept them waiting so long for a promised open network that might never materialize.
There are also numerous reports of poor communication and support from the Pi Network team when users encounter problems. On social media and forums, frustrated Pi users have shared stories of “missing” Pi coins (for example, due to technical glitches or account issues) and an apparent lack of response from Pi’s support team. In one roundup of community feedback, many investors expressed anger at Pi’s lack of customer support, describing failed attempts to get help or answers from the team after KYC failures or lost tokens. This silence from the Pi support channels has deepened some users’ fears that the project might not be acting in good faith. While Pi’s official communications often celebrate milestones or announce new features, individual users who run into issues report feeling abandoned or ignored by the company, which is not typical of reputable projects with active community management.
Token Distribution and Withdrawal Evidence
One crucial question in evaluating Pi Network is whether the Pi coins actually reach users in a meaningful way – i.e. who holds the tokens, and has anyone been able to cash them out? Until the end of 2024, the evidence suggested that Pi’s distribution was largely on paper, not in practice. According to the project’s own data, by late 2024 about 9 million users had migrated their Pi balances to the mainnet (meaning those users passed KYC and moved their mined Pi out of the app’s provisional balance into the Pi blockchain). This is a subset of the tens of millions of total sign-ups – indicating that only a portion of users have fully “unlocked” their Pi within the network. Moreover, throughout the Enclosed Mainnet period, no withdrawals to external wallets or exchanges were possible. The Pi Core Team maintained a firewall isolating the Pi blockchain from other networks, so even those 8–9 million mainnet users could not trade their coins outside Pi’s closed economy. In essence, until recently, no Pi user had truly received a spendable/token that could be sold on the open market. The only entities confirmed to have Pi liquidity were the Pi Network team themselves and possibly a few businesses participating in Pi’s enclosed marketplace. (Some third-party exchanges did list Pi as an IOU token in late 2022, but as the Pi team pointed out, those were unauthorized and not backed by actual transferable Pi.)
This situation started to change in early 2025. On February 20, 2025, Pi Network launched its “Open Mainnet,” ending the enclosed period and theoretically allowing external transactions. Following this launch, several cryptocurrency exchanges (such as OKX, Bitget, and others) listed the Pi token for trading on the same day. For the first time, a market price for Pi could be established with real liquidity. In the initial days of trading, Pi’s price was extremely volatile: the coin surged nearly 100% to about $2.99 at its peak on launch day, then **plunged by over 50% within hours (dropping to around $0.90-$1.00)**. By the next day, Pi was trading below $0.80, reflecting a 56% decline from the high. This rollercoaster implied that some holders were able to sell a significant amount of Pi once markets opened – likely those whose tokens were not locked up. It’s worth noting that a large portion of Pi pioneers chose to lock their coins even after migration (for bonuses or out of faith in the project). According to blockchain data, as of early 2025 about 63% of Pi mainnet accounts locked their Pi for a 3-year term and another 14% locked theirs for 1 year, meaning only roughly 23% of holders had Pi immediately available for trading. This locking mechanism may have limited the flood of sell orders at launch. Nonetheless, the fact that the price collapsed so quickly suggests that some early holders rushed to liquidate, which is typical when a previously illiquid token finally becomes sellable.
In terms of who has actually received Pi tokens, the vast majority are the community of users (“Pioneers”) who mined via the app, but their access is staggered. Pi’s token distribution model set a maximum supply of 100 billion Pi, of which 80% is allocated to the community and 20% to the Pi Core Team. Importantly, the core team’s 20% share is vested at the same rate as the community’s mining distribution – the team cannot unlock all their tokens until users collectively unlock an equivalent proportion of theirs. As a result, in early 2025, although billions of Pi exist within the network, only a small fraction is circulating externally. Pi Network recently announced plans to unlock 188 million Pi tokens in March 2025 for around 1.1 million users, expanding the amount of Pi that those users can transfer or trade. These gradual unlocks are intended to give more users access to their coins (and potentially relieve some pent-up withdrawal demand) while avoiding an overwhelming surge of selling at once. It remains to be seen how many Pi users will actually move their tokens to exchanges and cash out versus keep them within the ecosystem. At this stage, however, it’s clear that only a very small subset of users (relative to Pi’s total user count) have successfully withdrawn Pi tokens in any form, and those who have were only able to do so starting in February 2025 when exchanges opened trading.
Pi Network Mainnet Functionality and Transparency
From a technical standpoint, Pi Network’s blockchain development has been opaque and significantly delayed compared to industry norms. The Pi Core Team launched a prototype mainnet in December 2021 but kept it firewalled (Enclosed Network) for over two years. During this period, Pi Network touted various milestones – KYC verification drives, Pi app ecosystem projects, etc. – yet outsiders could not independently verify the state of the blockchain. Only trusted nodes controlled by the Pi team were operating on mainnet for much of this time, which meant the network was effectively centralized in the hands of its creators. This contradicts the spirit of decentralization that most crypto projects strive for. The Pi whitepaper (released in 2019 and updated chapters in 2021) described a consensus algorithm based on Stellar’s Federated Byzantine Agreement, theoretically allowing a set of distributed nodes to secure the network. In practice, however, Pi did not invite the broader community to run nodes that could participate in consensus on the closed mainnet, raising concerns that the project was running a closed database while advertising a “decentralized” crypto.
Transparency has also been a sticking point. Many critics have noted that Pi’s documentation is vague on technical details. In fact, Pi’s published “whitepaper” is more of a general manifesto and roadmap; it lacks concrete specifications of the protocol and no open-source code or block explorer was initially available to scrutinize. (A Pi Block Explorer was later released, allowing users to see transactions on the Pi blockchain, but this only came after the project had been operational for quite some time and still within the enclosed phase.) The combination of a long delay and limited transparency led to mounting skepticism. By late 2024 – over four years since Pi’s launch – the mainnet was still not fully open, whereas most legitimate blockchain projects tend to deliver a working network in 1–2 years. Pi’s team repeatedly pushed back the timeline, saying that they wanted to onboard more users and apps before opening the network and to close the gap between KYC-verified users and those who have migrated to mainnet. While this cautious approach could be seen as “methodical development,” it also fueled speculation that Pi had underlying issues preventing a full launch. Some community members grew concerned that the project might never transition to an open network, which would render their Pi coins permanently trapped and **“worthless” in any real sense.
Now that Pi Network has finally initiated its Open Mainnet, there is an expectation for greater transparency and functionality. The network is purportedly operational and supports transactions among users and Pi apps, but it is too early to fully assess how robust or decentralized it truly is. Key questions remain: How many independent nodes are there? Who controls the majority of voting power in consensus? Is the code open-source for the community to audit? As of this investigation, Pi Network’s core software is not widely published for public review, and it’s unclear if community nodes can join the network permissionlessly yet. The Pi Block Explorer does show basic information like total supply, circulating Pi, and transactions, which is a step toward transparency. For instance, one can observe that Pi’s supply continues to increase as mining by users ongoing – a fact that underscores earlier concerns about inflation (more Pi being created over time diluting each coin’s value). Ultimately, the true test of Pi’s mainnet will be in the coming months: if it remains only minimally functional and dominated by the core team’s servers, then claims of decentralization are dubious. If instead Pi gradually decentralizes control and proves its technology in the open, some of the skepticism may be alleviated. At present, however, Pi Network’s blockchain is not yet fully proven to outside observers, and the project’s transparency, while improving slightly, still lags behind what is expected of major crypto networks.
Financial Transparency and Potential Risks
Another aspect of the Pi Network saga is the project’s financial model and the core team’s transparency (or lack thereof) about it. Unlike many crypto startups, Pi Network did not conduct an ICO (Initial Coin Offering) or sell its tokens to the public early on. This means public information on its funding is limited. However, it is known that Pi Network raised some venture capital: in 2019 and 2020, the team secured funding via private SAFEs (Simple Agreements for Future Equity) at about a $20 million valuation. Beyond that, Pi’s monetization has mainly come from its huge user base. The Pi mobile app runs advertisement banners and videos that users see each time they engage with the mining button. With tens of millions of active users tapping the app daily, this could generate substantial ad revenue for the Pi Core Team. Indeed, critics argue that the users, in effect, “pay” through their attention and data – Pi mining is free in terms of money, but users watch ads (benefiting Pi Network financially) and submit personal information for KYC. The mandatory KYC itself has raised eyebrows; Pi uses a proprietary KYC solution and even allows community members to act as validators of others’ IDs. Some analysts note that a large verified user base is valuable in itself – those KYC’d users’ data can enhance ad targeting and potentially be monetized. Pi’s team insists that KYC is only for compliance and to ensure real human users, but the side effect is a trove of verified data that few other projects have. How Pi Network handles this data and revenue is not fully disclosed, as the company is private and not very communicative about its finances.
Internally, Pi Network has faced turmoil over money and leadership. In 2020, one of Pi’s co-founders, Vincent McPhilip, filed a lawsuit against the other two founders (Dr. Nicolas Kokkalis and Dr. Chengdiao Fan). He alleged that he was pushed out of the company unfairly and that the remaining founders mishandled financial resources. The lawsuit claimed that Kokkalis and Fan attempted to dilute McPhilip’s shares in Pi Network by issuing new stock at an extremely low price, and that they excluded him from access to company bank accounts and servers. The dispute also painted a picture of internal dysfunction (with personal conflicts between the founding couple spilling into the business). This legal battle was ultimately settled in July 2023 out of court (details were not made public), but it indicates that not all was smooth behind the scenes during Pi’s early growth. For observers, this raises concerns about governance and trustworthiness: if the founders had serious conflicts over money and control, how can users be sure that the project funds (or even the future huge supply of Pi coins) are being managed responsibly?
A key worry for many in the community is whether the Pi Core Team might enrich itself at the expense of users. As noted, the team has a 20% allocation of Pi coins (up to 20 billion Pi) which vests alongside the community’s 80%. The Pi economic design means the core team cannot dump their entire stash immediately – they can only unlock coins in step with the network growth. This is a positive sign in theory, intended to align the team’s incentives with the users’. However, the sheer scale of Pi’s valuation on paper has made people nervous. For example, when some exchanges unilaterally listed Pi IOU tokens in late 2022, the price briefly spiked to absurd levels (over $300 per coin), which would imply a multitrillion-dollar market cap if taken at face value. The Pi Core Team at that time issued statements that those prices were meaningless and that Pi was not trading yet. Fast forward to early 2025: Pi is trading around $1 with a fully diluted valuation in the tens of billions of dollars. Even at $1, if the team eventually can access their full 20 billion Pi, that’s $20 billion worth of assets – a huge temptation. There is no evidence so far of the Pi team “cashing out” en masse (and they publicly refute any such claims). In fact, Pi’s rules would prevent an outright rug-pull dump due to the controlled vesting. Nonetheless, financial transparency remains limited – we do not have public audits of Pi Network’s finances, and the team’s other revenue (from ads or partnerships) is not reported openly. For users, one risk is that the team could be profiting handsomely from the project (through ads or even selling small amounts of Pi on exchanges via proxies) without the community’s knowledge. The lack of an open-source code or clear foundation structure means Pi Network doesn’t have the kind of third-party oversight that some other crypto projects (especially decentralized ones) have. This doesn’t prove malicious intent, but it does mean participants must largely trust the founders, which is exactly the kind of centralized trust blockchain technology is supposed to eliminate.
In summary, while Pi Network hasn’t had a public token sale or obvious cash-grab event, it has monetized user activity in alternative ways and kept control tightly in the hands of its founders. The potential risks include: the team eventually enriching themselves through their token allocation (if the project succeeds), or the project failing and users’ years of accumulated Pi becoming worthless while the company still benefited from ad revenue and data. It’s a situation with asymmetrical outcomes – the core team carries relatively little financial risk (they didn’t charge money for Pi, and they earned revenue along the way), but the users carry a huge opportunity cost and personal data risk. This dynamic is one reason many in the crypto space urge caution with Pi Network, labeling it “too good to be true” or at least very different from the transparent, open models that bona fide crypto projects are expected to follow.
Official Responses from the Pi Network Team
The Pi Network core team is well aware of the scam allegations and user unrest, and they have issued several official responses over time to address these concerns – or to at least clarify their position. Early on, as users questioned the long wait for utility, the founders stressed that Pi was a “long-term project” and urged the community to be patient. Dr. Chengdiao Fan (a co-founder) reportedly posted messages to Pioneers not to let “the noises” distract them, implying that critics were spreading FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt) and that the faithful should focus on Pi’s mission (this was referenced in community discussions around the time the grace period for KYC was ending). More concretely, when some exchanges began listing Pi tokens without authorization in late 2022, the Pi Core Team responded firmly. On December 29, 2022, they reminded everyone that **“Pi is in Enclosed Mainnet with no external connectivity permitted. Pi Network isn’t affiliated with and hasn’t authorized any exchange listing. Such listings may not operate on real Pi. Participation may result in loss.”**. In January 2023, the team put out a press release and blog post disapproving those unauthorized listings and explaining that any tradeable Pi at that time was “not the real Pi token” since the network was firewalled. They even asked the exchanges to take down those fake Pi markets. This response was essentially to protect the community from buying what were IOUs or speculative contracts, and to reiterate that Pi coins could not leave the official network until the core team opened it.
In February 2025, when the controversy peaked with Bybit’s CEO calling Pi a scam, Pi Network broke its silence with a detailed public statement. The team addressed Ben Zhou’s accusations point by point. First, regarding the Chinese police report that labeled Pi a scam: Pi Network clarified that the report referred to scammers impersonating Pi Network, not the project itself. They stated that no Chinese authority had ever contacted the Pi team about wrongdoing, and they condemned anyone using Pi’s name to defraud people. This was effectively Pi saying “we are not responsible for those third-party scams; we’re a legitimate project that unfortunately has copycats.” Next, Pi’s statement talked about its relationship (or lack thereof) with Bybit. The team emphasized they have no connection to Bybit or its CEO, and noted that Bybit never even requested the Pi team to undergo a listing review or “Know-Your-Business” process. (In contrast, exchanges like OKX and Bitget, which listed Pi, did coordinate with the Pi team for proper integration.) Pi Network also disavowed a certain social media post that had attacked Bybit; they said that post came from someone unaffiliated with Pi, and they do not support any Pi community members harassing or slandering exchanges.
Crucially, to answer the big question “Is Pi Network a scam?”, the core team defended their legitimacy by citing the project’s track record. They pointed out that Pi Network has been operating for over 6 years without asking users for money, that it built a community of over 60 million real users, and that many other reputable projects also face impostors and scams trying to ride on their success. The underlying message was that Pi’s longevity and scale are proof of its earnest intentions – a scam, they imply, wouldn’t run this long or attract this many genuine participants. Additionally, around the same time, the Pi team released new Safety Guidelines on their official channels to educate users on how to avoid fake Pi apps or malicious actors. They consistently urge Pioneers to use only the official Pi app and websites, and to distrust anyone asking for money claiming to be Pi-related, since the core team’s policy is that mining Pi is free.
It is worth noting that while the Pi Network team addresses specific incidents (like fake listings or public accusations) with statements, they have been less forthcoming on other fronts. For example, there hasn’t been a detailed public accounting of why the open network was delayed beyond the generic explanation of wanting more KYC’d users and a robust ecosystem. Also, individual user issues (KYC delays, support tickets) are typically handled via an in-app support portal or community moderators, rather than high-profile announcements. This sometimes gives the impression that Pi’s officials respond to PR crises but not to everyday user frustrations. In their defense, the core team likely has been overwhelmed managing such a large user base and building infrastructure; nonetheless, communication gaps have been a source of criticism.
In summary, the official stance of Pi Network is that they are legitimate and committed to their vision. They acknowledge the skepticism but attribute it to misunderstandings or malicious third parties. They ask their community to “focus on what matters” – implying that building the network and ecosystem is more important than engaging with accusations. As the project transitions to the Open Mainnet, the Pi team expresses confidence that results will speak louder than words. Only time will tell if their assurances hold true and if Pi Network can shed the cloud of scam allegations that has hung over it.
Conclusion
The case of Pi Network is an unusual one in the cryptocurrency space. On one hand, it represents an ambitious experiment in bootstrapping a crypto community: tens of millions of people have been drawn in by the allure of “mining” crypto on their phones at no cost. The project has undeniably achieved a massive user base and prolonged those users’ engagement through a mix of game-like mechanics and community-building. On the other hand, Pi Network exhibits many of the hallmarks of projects that experts caution against: a vague timeline that kept shifting, a product that for a long time delivered no tangible value, heavy reliance on recruiting new users via referrals, and the collection of personal data under the pretext of KYC for an unlaunched coin. These factors, combined with the lack of external transparency during crucial development years, led to numerous accusations that Pi was a scam or pyramid scheme. Authorities in at least one country (China) outright labeled it a scam targeting vulnerable people, and seasoned crypto industry figures have raised serious concerns.
Now that Pi Network’s coin is (apparently) live on an open mainnet and tradeable on some exchanges, the project is at a crossroads. If Pi Network is genuine, we should soon see clear evidence of a functioning, decentralized network and real utility for the Pi cryptocurrency. The team will need to continue improving transparency – perhaps by open-sourcing code, publishing audits, or allowing independent node operation – to win over skeptics. If those things happen, Pi might gradually prove its doubters wrong and develop into a legitimate crypto economy (though it would still face the challenge of creating lasting value for a coin that was handed out so freely). If Pi Network is not genuine, or if the core team fails to deliver on the open network promises, then the current tradable Pi may end up being just a brief speculative bubble. In that pessimistic scenario, users who spent years mining Pi could find their coins “worthless,” validating the warnings that have been voiced in reports and forums. Already, the steep drop in Pi’s price post-launch has been taken by some as a sign that reality is catching up to the hype.
From an objective standpoint, it’s clear that significant risks remain for anyone involved with Pi Network. The project’s history of delays and the continued dominance of the core team in decision-making mean that caution is warranted. Prospective users or investors should carefully research and consider the credible analyses (and there are many) that question Pi’s model. At the same time, outright dismissing a project with such a large community is difficult – Pi Network is a real social phenomenon, if not yet a proven technological one. In closing, one should stay informed through official updates (being mindful of Pi’s warnings about unofficial platforms) and watch how Pi Network evolves in the coming months. This investigation has highlighted both the allegations of fraud and the counter-arguments from Pi’s proponents; the truth of Pi Network’s legitimacy will ultimately be demonstrated by what the project delivers now that the world is watching. Until then, skepticism and careful analysis remain the prudent approach.
Sources: The information in this report is drawn from a range of sources, including crypto news outlets (CoinDesk, BeInCrypto, Cointelegraph and others), an in-depth CCN investigative article, official Pi Network communications, and numerous user reports and testimonials on forums and social media. Key references have been cited throughout the text for verification.
dont do it, they will not pass your kyc and you will never receive your tokens. Noone will ever answer you, neither on twitter not on their chat. DO NOT FALL FOR THIS SCAM!
dont do it, they will not pass your kyc and you will never receive your tokens. Noone will ever answer you, neither on twitter not on their chat. DO NOT FALL FOR THIS SCAM!
Pi_XRP
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$pi, #pinetwork
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Importance of being a node or super node on
PI NETWORK

Pi Network's base mining rate has undergone several reductions since its launch on March 14, 2019. Here's a timeline of these changes:

March 14, 2019: Launch with a base mining rate of 3.14 π/hour.

April 2019: Reduced to 1.57 π/hour upon reaching 1,000 users.

May 2019: Reduced to 0.78 π/hour after surpassing 10,000 users.

July 2019: Reduced to 0.39 π/hour upon reaching 100,000 users.

November 2019: Reduced to 0.19 π/hour after surpassing 1 million users.

December 2020: Reduced to 0.10 π/hour upon reaching 10 million users.

In March 2022, Pi Network transitioned to a monthly diminishing rate:

March 2022: 0.024 π/hour.
April 2022: 0.020 π/hour.
May 2022: 0.0198 π/hour.
June 2022: 0.0193 π/hour.
July 2022: 0.0187 π/hour.
August 2022: 0.0166 π/hour.
September 2022: 0.0155 π/hour.
October 2022: 0.0150 π/hour.
November 2022: 0.0147 π/hour.
December 2022: 0.0142 π/hour.

January 2023: 0.0140 π/hour.
February 2023: 0.0124 π/hour.
March 2023: 0.0121 π/hour.
April 2023: 0.0115 π/hour.
May 2023: 0.0116 π/hour.
June 2023: 0.0108 π/hour.
July 2023: 0.0105 π/hour.
August 2023: 0.0103 π/hour.
September 2023: 0.0101 π/hour.
October 2023: 0.0095 π/hour.
November 2023: 0.0090 π/hour.
December 2023: 0.0085 π/hour.

As of March 2025, the base mining rate has decreased to approximately 0.0029 π/hour, reflecting a 38% reduction from the previous rate of 0.0047 π/hour.

This means if you are mining along with 4 referrals and with the assumption of using the pi browser app daily (0.35 utility bonus) and a lockup bonus of 515% (90% for 3 years) and 0 for not using node, you can have for march 2025,

0.0029×(100%+100%+515%)×(1+(0.25×4)+0.35+0)

= 0.049 pi per hour = 1.17 pi per day = 35 pi per month

On the other hand, if you are becoming a node using a medium PC, you can have easily a node bonus of 7 thus,

0.0029×7.15×9.35 = 0.19 pi per hour = 4.6 pi per day = 139 pi per month

This is an excellent investment that have a return of investment in just one month.

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Bullish
Facts on #crypto 👇 1- #bitcoin is a L1 memecoin, just like #Dogecoin but more widely adopted, 2- All VMs are kind of the same. Some faster, lighter, thinner, ZKer, abstracted etc. As different as iPhone 14 and 15... 3- Project does matter, but not much. Check marketcaps and you will see. 4- Centralized Exchanges are faster, cheaper but less safe. 5- Dex are useless for real people, I mean most people cannot even use bank apps. 6- Technical Analysis is seldom useful. Lines drawn up or below resistances do not mean much. Actually, resistance and support levels are just illusions. Go see charts by yourself. 7- News on average follow the market, not the other way around. China will always ban Bitcoin during bear market, and SEC will allow it while in the bull. 8- Memecoins are gambling. 9- HODL is just for you. Traders will aleays dump it on others, you are hodling to slow down the collapse. Keep these in mind and DYOR.
Facts on #crypto 👇
1- #bitcoin is a L1 memecoin, just like #Dogecoin but more widely adopted,
2- All VMs are kind of the same. Some faster, lighter, thinner, ZKer, abstracted etc. As different as iPhone 14 and 15...
3- Project does matter, but not much. Check marketcaps and you will see.
4- Centralized Exchanges are faster, cheaper but less safe.
5- Dex are useless for real people, I mean most people cannot even use bank apps.
6- Technical Analysis is seldom useful. Lines drawn up or below resistances do not mean much. Actually, resistance and support levels are just illusions. Go see charts by yourself.
7- News on average follow the market, not the other way around. China will always ban Bitcoin during bear market, and SEC will allow it while in the bull.
8- Memecoins are gambling.
9- HODL is just for you. Traders will aleays dump it on others, you are hodling to slow down the collapse.

Keep these in mind and DYOR.
Honest glossary for #crypto and #Altcoins "Buy the dip" = We need somebody to sell this shit to. "HODL" = We need somebody not to sell immediately so that the cycle will continue. "DYOR" = We shill this, we promote it, but the responsibility to buy this shit is yours. "BUIDL" = We act as if we are doing sht, but in reality we copy paste some other contract. #eth #HODL #Buidl #BTD Any you want to add? Please 👇
Honest glossary for #crypto and #Altcoins

"Buy the dip" = We need somebody to sell this shit to.
"HODL" = We need somebody not to sell immediately so that the cycle will continue.
"DYOR" = We shill this, we promote it, but the responsibility to buy this shit is yours.
"BUIDL" = We act as if we are doing sht, but in reality we copy paste some other contract.

#eth #HODL #Buidl #BTD
Any you want to add? Please 👇
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Bullish
BURN #BNB burn! Here comes one of the biggest opportunities! Reserve your #BNB now. 30th BURN is waiting execution! $BNB
BURN #BNB burn!

Here comes one of the biggest opportunities! Reserve your #BNB now. 30th BURN is waiting execution! $BNB
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Bullish
Dear Binancians! I have a tiny prediction for the mid-term future. I am pretty based on this idea! I think $RONIN is going to run wild and replace $SOL in the near future. let's wait and see together.
Dear Binancians!

I have a tiny prediction for the mid-term future. I am pretty based on this idea! I think $RONIN is going to run wild and replace $SOL in the near future.
let's wait and see together.
See original
Watch out for the TON ecosystem! The TON ecosystem has great potential with many new tokens. It has not seen a bull and its accessibility is great thanks to Telegram. Some of these are #ston #jetton #redo . Be sure to research. #TON
Watch out for the TON ecosystem! The TON ecosystem has great potential with many new tokens. It has not seen a bull and its accessibility is great thanks to Telegram. Some of these are #ston #jetton #redo . Be sure to research. #TON
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