Xinhuanet: "Frying Coins" and "Mining" Are Popular Again, Beware of Financial Scams Wearing Blockchain "Vests"

Reporters: Wang Shujuan, Gao Shaohua, Li Lijing

Source: Xinhua News Agency

Editor's Note: The original title "Frying Coins" and "Mining" has become popular again. Be wary of financial fraud "re-emerging in rivers and lakes" wearing a blockchain "vest"

"The application scenario of the blockchain has landed, and XX coins can make a lot of money when lying down" "A miner is ringing, gold is worth two thousand" … As early as 2017, domestic virtual currency trading and related exchanges were stopped by regulation, but “Xinhua Viewpoint” reporters found that with the recent state ’s explicit support for blockchain technology, some criminals took the opportunity to find fish in the muddy waters and launched various so-called “currency” and “chain” high-yield technology investment projects to carry out pyramid schemes and illegal fundraising activities. .

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The "coin speculation group" and "mining group" are active again, and MLM organizations are deceiving in some third- and fourth-tier cities

The reporter's investigation found that recently, the "coin speculation group" and "mining group" on the Internet have reactivated after two years of silence, and discussions about the virtual currency market and trading are hot.

Some criminals use the banner of the blockchain to promote virtual currencies and capital disks, equate the blockchain technology with virtual currencies, and even appear to have statements such as "prevention of token issuance financing risk policies are out of date", and some use the "chain" Mining, "IMO", "STO" and other refurbished names, covering the "vest" of the blockchain to carry out illegal financial activities.

In some third- and fourth-tier cities, various MLM organizations are cheating under the banner of blockchain. They pretend to be blockchain technology companies and run free training courses everywhere in the name of so-called blockchain investment experts, pulling people to incite the public to seize the so-called investment opportunities. Fraudulent practices are the same as those of health care products. Most people, especially the elderly, do not have a deep understanding of blockchain and regulatory policies, and it is easy to fall into a trap.

At present, financial regulatory authorities in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangdong and other places have successively introduced measures to reorganize virtual currency trading venues.

In fact, as early as September 4, 2017, the central bank and other seven ministries and commissions issued the "Announcement on Preventing Token Issuance Financing Risks", suspending direct trading of virtual currencies, and cleaning up and rectifying virtual currency trading venues. After that, large domestic virtual currency exchanges went underground and moved their operating entities or servers overseas. Under strict supervision, virtual currency trading was temporarily depressed.

In October 2019, the central government affirmed the important role of blockchain technology in economic development and industrial innovation, and related topics became a hot topic in society. The once-cooled illegal currency issuance took the opportunity to resurrect.

Mao Hongliang, director of the Blockchain Research Office of the National Internet Financial Security Technical Expert Committee, told reporters that recent pyramid schemes, fund disks and other illegal activities have used the concept of blockchain and the issuance of virtual currencies for packaging. It has nothing to do with blockchain technology and involves a lot of funds. Harmful.

Demystifying the Three Routines of Fraud: Mining, Games, and Coin Offerings

The reporter's investigation found that many scams confuse investors with blockchain technology packaging.

-Fraud in the name of blockchain mining and currency exchange. The Zhengzhou Police in Henan recently reported a scam involving a total of 1.36 billion yuan and more than 7,000 victims.

The fraud gang suspect, Gao Mou, established Henan Lianxin Technology Co., Ltd., AT Exchange and other companies to assemble the hard disks, motherboards, and case labels purchased into so-called "mining machines", and lied to customers that buying investment "mines" "Machines" can obtain high returns through mining, exchange, trading and other methods. However, after the customer purchased his "miner" investment at a high price, the company frozen the digital currency exchanged by the customer on the ground that the trading platform was hacked, prevented the customer from withdrawing through the background operation, and illegally occupied the customer's funds.

-Fraud in the name of a blockchain game. The Shanghai Pudong Internet Police released a fraudulent fund fraud case involving blockchain pets. The project promises that customers will acquire 28% of the platform after 15 days of raising virtual pigs. But in fact, all transactions are controlled by the platform personnel, and even the participants are called "leeks" naked, and finally the company's money rolls out.

-Issue "Air Coin" and "MLM Coin" in the name of the blockchain. In order to attract user traffic and funds, and increase the scale of transactions, some trading platforms have introduced new methods such as “transaction is mining”, “platform currency”, and “transaction platform financing IEO”. Virtual currency.

"A lot of projects have nothing to do with the blockchain itself, but just use the concept of the blockchain to engage in illegal activities such as pyramid schemes and funds." Mao Hongliang said.

Regulators remind investors to increase awareness of risk prevention

Recently, Shanghai regulatory authorities have reminded investors to be careful not to confuse blockchain technology with virtual currency. There are multiple risks in the financing and trading of virtual currency issuance, including the risk of false assets, the risk of operating failure, and the risk of investment speculation. Investors should Increase awareness of precautions and beware of being deceived.

Since 2019, related departments have disposed of more than 200 domestic and foreign virtual currency trading platforms, closed more than 10,000 related payment accounts, closed WeChat marketing programs and nearly 300 public accounts.

A virtual currency exchange founder told reporters, "Since 2017, there have been a large number of small and medium-sized virtual currency exchanges with servers set up overseas, and their main customers are domestic investors."

The reporter saw that on the "non-small" virtual currency information aggregation platform, there are currently about 500 active virtual currency trading markets, and many small exchanges have not been included.

Zheng Yushan, a person in charge of the National Technology Transfer East Center, said that the current regulatory weathervane is to standardize and purify the development environment of blockchain technology, clean up and prevent private speculation, illegal fundraising, and financial fraud to ensure the secure and orderly development of true blockchain technology.

Cheng Yu, deputy director of the Personnel Exchange Center of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said that some criminals scammed and engaged in financial transactions in the name of blockchain projects, which caused a negative perception of blockchain technology in society and hindered technology and industry. Healthy development. Supervision should be strengthened to increase punishment for illegal acts.

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