歷史上最大的加密騙局

加密貨幣革命帶來了前所未有的機會，有前途的權力下放，財務主權和改變生活的利潤。

The cryptocurrency revolution has brought unprecedented opportunities, promising decentralization, financial sovereignty, and life-changing profits. However, this meteoric rise, coupled with lax regulation and investor enthusiasm, has also created a playground for scammers. From classic Ponzi schemes to modern rug pulls, the crypto space has birthed some of history’s most audacious frauds, costing victims billions and shattering trust.

加密貨幣革命帶來了前所未有的機會，有前途的權力下放，財務主權和改變生活的利潤。然而，這種流離失所的崛起，再加上寬鬆的監管和投資者的熱情，也為騙子創造了一個遊樂場。從經典的龐氏騙局到現代地毯拉力，加密貨幣空間誕生了一些歷史上最大膽的欺詐行為，使受害者造成了數十億美元的損失和破碎的信任。

This article takes a deep dive into the biggest crypto scams ever, unraveling their intricate workings, the staggering losses they caused, and the enduring lessons for a market still finding its footing.

本文深入研究了有史以來最大的加密騙局，揭示了他們錯綜複雜的運作，他們造成的驚人損失以及市場仍在尋找其地位的持久課程。

OneCoin: The Fake Crypto Empire

Onecoin：假加密帝國

Topping the list of crypto scams is OneCoin, a fraudulent operation that duped millions with the allure of a Bitcoin killer. Launched in 2014 by Ruja Ignatova, a Bulgarian entrepreneur known for her polished Oxford pedigree, OneCoin was pitched as a groundbreaking cryptocurrency. Ignatova, nicknamed the “Cryptoqueen,” dazzled audiences at global seminars, promising that OneCoin’s proprietary blockchain would revolutionize finance.

Crypto Scams的名單是Onecoin，這是一項欺詐性的行動，以比特幣殺手的吸引力欺騙了數百萬。保加利亞企業家Ruja Ignatova於2014年成立，以其拋光的牛津譜係而聞名，Onecoin被認為是一種開創性的加密貨幣。伊格納托娃（Ignatova）被暱稱為“加密之王”（CryptoQueen），在全球研討會上耀眼觀眾，承諾，Onecoin的專有區塊鏈將徹底改變財務。

The scam operated as a multi-level marketing (MLM) scheme, selling “educational packages” ranging from $100 to over $100,000, which supposedly granted buyers the ability to “mine” OneCoin tokens. In reality, there was no blockchain—just a centralized database where token values were manipulated by the founders. Promoters earned hefty commissions by recruiting others, fueling a pyramid structure that ensnared over 3 million investors across 175 countries.

該騙局是一種多層次營銷（MLM）計劃，銷售“教育套餐”的範圍從100美元到100,000美元以上，據說這使買家具有“礦山” Onecoin代幣的能力。實際上，沒有區塊鏈 - 只是一個集中式數據庫，在該數據庫中，創始人操縱了令牌值。發起人通過招募他人而獲得了巨大的佣金，並助長了175個國家 /地區超過300萬投資者的金字塔結構。

By 2017, OneCoin had amassed an estimated $4 billion to $15 billion, making it one of the largest financial scams ever. That year, Ignatova disappeared after boarding a flight from Sofia to Athens, just as authorities closed in. Her brother, Konstantin Ignatov, took a plea deal in 2019, while co-founder Karl Sebastian Greenwood received a 20-year prison sentence in 2023. Ignatova remains at large, a ghost haunting the crypto world, with her scheme’s victims left with worthless tokens and shattered dreams.

到2017年，Onecoin積累了大約40億美元至150億美元，使其成為有史以來最大的財務騙局之一。那一年，伊格納托娃（Ignatova）在當局關閉時，登上從索非亞到達雅典的航班後消失了。她的兄弟康斯坦丁·伊格納托夫（Konstantin Ignatov）於2019年取得了認罪協議，而聯合創始人卡爾·塞巴斯蒂安·格林伍德（Karl Sebastian Greenwood）在2023年被判處20年徒刑。伊格納托娃（Ignatova）在巨大的鬼魂中，與奇特托（Crypto World）保持了不知所措的態度。

BitConnect: The Ponzi That Roared

bitConnect：咆哮的龐氏騙局

While OneCoin might be the more enduring name, BitConnect stormed onto the scene later, capitalizing on the 2017 crypto bull run with promises of guaranteed riches. Marketed as a lending and trading platform, BitConnect claimed its proprietary “volatility software” could deliver daily returns of up to 1%—a tantalizing prospect in a volatile market. Investors swapped Bitcoin for BitConnect Coin (BCC), locking their funds into the platform for months in exchange for these payouts.

雖然Onecoin可能是更持久的名字，但BitConnect後來沖向現場，利用了2017年的加密公牛奔跑，並承諾保證有保證的財富。 BitConnect被作為貸款和交易平台銷售，聲稱其專有的“波動性軟件”可以提供高達1％的每日回報，這是一個動蕩的市場中的誘人前景。投資者將比特幣換成BitConnect Coin（BCC），將其資金鎖定在平台上數月以換取這些支出。

The catch? Returns weren’t generated by trading but by new investors’ money—a classic Ponzi scheme. BitConnect’s hype was amplified by charismatic promoters on YouTube, like Carlos Matos, whose viral “BitConnect!” scream at a seminar became a meme. At its peak in late 2017, BCC hit a market cap of $2.6 billion.

捕獲？回報不是由交易產生的，而是由新投資者的貨幣（一種經典的龐氏騙局）產生的。 BitConnect的炒作被YouTube上具有魅力的促進者所放大，例如Carlos Matos，其病毒“ BitConnect！”在研討會上尖叫成為模因。在2017年底的頂峰時，BCC的市值達到了26億美元。

However, the house of cards collapsed in January 2018 when regulators in Texas and North Carolina issued cease-and-desist orders, exposing the scam. The platform shut down overnight, BCC’s value plummeted 92% in hours, and investors lost an estimated $2 billion. Founder Satish Kumbhani fled to India, where he was arrested in 2022, while U.S. promoter Glenn Arcaro pleaded guilty to fraud, underscoring how greed and slick marketing can blind even savvy crypto enthusiasts.

但是，紙牌屋在2018年1月倒塌了，當時德克薩斯州和北卡羅來納州的監管機構發出了停火命令，暴露了騙局。該平台在一夜之間關閉，BCC的價值在數小時內下降了92％，投資者估計損失了20億美元。創始人Satish Kumbhani逃到了印度，他於2022年被捕，而美國的發起人Glenn Arcaro則認罪，欺詐，強調貪婪和光滑的營銷方式甚至可以使Crypto的愛好者蒙蔽。

PlusToken: The Asian Crypto Heist

Plustoken：亞洲加密搶劫

If OneCoin and BitConnect targeted a global audience, then PlusToken pulled off a scam of staggering scale by focusing on Asia, particularly China and South Korea. Launched in 2018, PlusToken masqueraded as a crypto wallet and exchange, promising monthly returns of 8% to 16% through arbitrage trading. Its mobile app lured users with a sleek interface and referral bonuses, amassing over 3 million accounts by 2019.

如果Onecoin和BitConnect以全球觀眾為目標，那麼Plustoken通過專注於亞洲，尤其是中國和韓國來擺脫驚人的規模騙局。 Plustoken於2018年推出，偽裝成加密貨幣錢包和交易所，通過套利交易有望每月回報8％至16％。它的移動應用吸引了用戶的界面和推薦獎金，到2019年將積累了超過300萬個帳戶。

Investors poured in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other cryptocurrencies, believing their funds were being expertly managed. In reality, the operators—said to be a group of Chinese programmers—siphoned assets into private wallets, orchestrating a slow bleed that netted them over $3 billion—some estimates suggest up to $6 billion. The scam unraveled in mid-2019 when withdrawals stalled and the founders vanished.

投資者傾注了比特幣，以太坊和其他加密貨幣，認為他們的資金得到了專業管理。實際上，運營商（表明是一群中國程序員）將資產放入了私人錢包中，精心策劃了緩慢的流血，使他們超過30億美元，有些估計表明高達60億美元。該騙局在2019年中期停滯不前，創始人消失了。

Chinese authorities later arrested 109 suspects, convicting six ringleaders in 2020, but much of the stolen crypto had been laundered through mixers and exchanges. PlusToken’s fallout also rippled through markets, with analysts linking its massive sell-offs to Bitcoin’s price dips in 2019. The scam exposed vulnerabilities in Asia’s crypto boom and the difficulty of tracking illicit

中國當局後來逮捕了109名嫌疑人，在2020年定罪了六名頭目，但大部分被盜的加密貨幣已通過混音和交流來洗錢。普魯斯科肯（Plustoken）的後果也通過市場蕩漾，分析師將其大量拋售與2019年的比特幣價格下跌聯繫起來。亞洲加密貨幣繁榮的騙局暴露了漏洞和追踪非法的困難