$X Empire: TON Mini-App Game That Scammed Millions of UsersThe world of blockchain-based gaming has exploded with innovation, offering unique opportunities for players to earn rewards while immersing themselves in virtual experiences. However, not all games live up to their promises, and X Empire, a Telegram mini-app game built on The Open Network (TON), is an unfortunate example of this dark side of the blockchain world. In recent months, X Empire has made headlines for all the wrong reasons, scamming millions of users with false promises of airdrops and fraudulent practices. Here’s a breakdown of how the scheme worked:The Initial Promise: Pay to Get AirdropsWhen X Empire first launched, it lured users in by offering the ability to earn exclusive airdrops of TON tokens. To qualify for these airdrops, players were told that they needed to participate in the game’s mining phase and reach certain milestones in the game. However, there was one catch: to claim these airdrops, users had to pay a transaction fee of 0.5 TON. Many players, eager to secure their place in the game and reap future rewards, paid the fee without knowing what was coming. The small transaction fees, while seemingly insignificant at first, began to accumulate as the game attracted thousands and eventually millions of players. X Empire developers capitalized on this initial excitement, amassing significant amounts of money from users under the guise of this transaction fee requirement.The Sudden Change: No Fees RequiredWhen the game’s mining phase ended, users eagerly awaited the promised airdrops. However, to the surprise and disappointment of many, the X Empire team made a sudden and significant announcement: the 0.5 TON transaction fee that users had paid was actually not required to claim the airdrop. This revelation left users feeling deceived and betrayed. Not only had they paid the fee they believed was required, but the announcement also rendered their previous payments meaningless. Despite this, the X Empire team did not issue refunds or explain the sudden change in policy. The Final Betrayal: Airdrops Based Only on In-Game AchievementsWorse still, when the time finally came for users to receive their airdrops, X Empire deviated further from its original promise. Instead of distributing the airdrop based on users’ previous payments and participation in the mining phase, the game developers chose to reward players based solely on their in-game performance. For those who had invested a lot of time and effort to advance in the game, this decision was acceptable. However, millions of users who paid the 0.5 TON transaction fee – believing it was necessary for the airdrop – received nothing in return for their financial contributions. The money they spent and donated to the game was completely ignored. The aftermathThe backlash from the community was swift and severe. Social media platforms and Telegram channels were flooded with complaints from users who felt they had been duped by the game’s fraudulent practices.Calls for refunds and transparency were silenced by the X Empire team, further fueling the anger and frustration of players. To this day, the X Empire scandal remains a stark reminder of the potential dangers in the blockchain gaming space. While decentralized platforms like TON offer exciting opportunities for innovation, they are not immune to manipulation and exploitation. ConclusionThe X Empire mini-app game on TON serves as a cautionary tale for users in the decentralized gaming and blockchain ecosystem. It highlights the need for transparency, accountability, and appropriate regulation to protect users from malicious schemes. As the blockchain gaming industry continues to grow, users must remain vigilant and critical of the projects they choose to support, ensuring that they do not fall victim to similar scams in the future. This incident also calls for stronger mechanisms within the TON network to monitor and address fraudulent activities, preventing other developers from exploiting the system for their own gain.