The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has warned the victims of the crypto scam CluCoin that it will use NFTs to contact them. On August 15th, the founder of the project, Austin Michael Taylor, stole 1.14 million dollars from his investors to use in gambling.
USA: the FBI warns the victims of the crypto scam CluCoin that it will use NFTs to contact them
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has warned the victims of the crypto scam CluCoin that it will use NFTs to contact them:
“The identified victims will be informed via NFT. If you have invested in CLU, believe you are a victim and/or have received an NFT, visit the site https://www.fbi.gov/CluCoinInvestors to provide relevant information to the FBI.”
In practice, from a statement from the United States Attorney’s Office in Florida, it was described what happened to the crypto project CluCoin. The founder Austin Michael Taylor allegedly robbed investors of his project for a total of 1.14 million dollars, to use them in gambling.
And in fact, it seems that Taylor pleaded guilty to wire fraud on August 15.
Taylor started raising funds for CluCoin as early as May 2021, after the success of the Initial Coin Offering (or ICO) of the CLU token.
Immediately after, CluCoin also created new projects such as the minting of NFTs for the development of a computer game and a metaverse platform.
Specifically, from May 2022 until December 2022, Taylor sent approximately 1.14 million dollars of investor funds to his personal account via crypto-exchange. These funds were used at various online casinos, where he lost the investor funds due to gambling.
USA: the FBI and the use of NFTs to contact the victims of the crypto scam CluCoin
Now, while Taylor awaits his sentence scheduled for October 31, risking a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, the FBI offices in Miami and Washington are investigating the case.
Here, to involve the victims of the crypto scam of CluCoin (CLU), and to outline the situation, the FBI has decided to use NFTs.
Therefore, the FBI will inform the “identified victims” of the expected return, through their NFT.
This is one of the first times that law enforcement has publicly stated that they will use NFTs to contact victims.
Other crypto scams: the update on the OneCoin case
And speaking of crypto scam, it is easy to think of the 4 billion dollar scam in 2016 of the OneCoin project.
Recently, it seems that over 400 victims have turned to the High Court of London to obtain compensation. In this way, an order has been issued to freeze the assets of any alleged fraudster, identified in numerous individuals and companies connected to OneCoin.
First and foremost, under accusation are the “Crypto Queen”, Ruja Ignatova, and the other founder of OneCoin, Karl Sebastian Greenwood. OneCoin Limited and One Network Services Limited are also the connected companies.
Other individuals involved in the accusation and with their assets frozen are the influencer Karri Wahlroos, Muhammed Zafar, Monyul Islam, Monirul Islam, and many others.
In any case, in January 2023, the FBI had included the Crypto Queen among the 10 most wanted fugitives in the world, with her escape lasting for five years.