历史上最大的加密骗局

加密货币革命带来了前所未有的机会，有前途的权力下放，财务主权和改变生活的利润。

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.

加密货币革命带来了前所未有的机会，有前途的权力下放，财务主权和改变生活的利润。然而，这种流离失所的崛起，再加上宽松的监管和投资者的热情，也为骗子创造了一个游乐场。从经典的庞氏骗局到现代地毯拉力，加密货币空间诞生了一些历史上最大胆的欺诈行为，使受害者造成了数十亿美元的损失和破碎的信任。

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来最大的加密骗局，揭示了他们错综复杂的运作，他们造成的惊人损失以及市场仍在寻找其地位的持久课程。

OneCoin: The Fake Crypto Empire

Onecoin：假加密帝国

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的名单是Onecoin，这是一项欺诈性的行动，以比特币杀手的吸引力欺骗了数百万。保加利亚企业家Ruja Ignatova于2014年成立，以其抛光的牛津谱系而闻名，Onecoin被认为是一种开创性的加密货币。伊格纳托娃（Ignatova）被昵称为“加密之王”（CryptoQueen），在全球研讨会上耀眼观众，承诺，Onecoin的专有区块链将彻底改变财务。

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.

该骗局是一种多层次营销（MLM）计划，销售“教育套餐”的范围从100美元到100,000美元以上，据说这使买家具有“矿山” Onecoin代币的能力。实际上，没有区块链 - 只是一个集中式数据库，在该数据库中，创始人操纵了令牌值。发起人通过招募他人而获得了巨大的佣金，并助长了175个国家 /地区超过300万投资者的金字塔结构。

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积累了大约40亿美元至150亿美元，使其成为有史以来最大的财务骗局之一。那一年，伊格纳托娃（Ignatova）在当局关闭时，登上从索非亚到达雅典的航班后消失了。她的兄弟康斯坦丁·伊格纳托夫（Konstantin Ignatov）于2019年取得了认罪协议，而联合创始人卡尔·塞巴斯蒂安·格林伍德（Karl Sebastian Greenwood）在2023年被判处20年徒刑。伊格纳托娃（Ignatova）在巨大的鬼魂中，与奇特托（Crypto World）保持了不知所措的态度。

BitConnect: The Ponzi That Roared

bitConnect：咆哮的庞氏骗局

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.

虽然Onecoin可能是更持久的名字，但BitConnect后来冲向现场，利用了2017年的加密公牛奔跑，并承诺保证有保证的财富。 BitConnect被作为贷款和交易平台销售，声称其专有的“波动性软件”可以提供高达1％的每日回报，这是一个动荡的市场中的诱人前景。投资者将比特币换成BitConnect Coin（BCC），将其资金锁定在平台上数月以换取这些支出。

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.

捕获？回报不是由交易产生的，而是由新投资者的货币（一种经典的庞氏骗局）产生的。 BitConnect的炒作被YouTube上具有魅力的促进者所放大，例如Carlos Matos，其病毒“ BitConnect！”在研讨会上尖叫成为模因。在2017年底的顶峰时，BCC的市值达到了26亿美元。

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，纸牌屋在2018年1月倒塌了，当时德克萨斯州和北卡罗来纳州的监管机构发出了停火命令，暴露了骗局。该平台在一夜之间关闭，BCC的价值在数小时内下降了92％，投资者估计损失了20亿美元。创始人Satish Kumbhani逃到了印度，他于2022年被捕，而美国的发起人Glenn Arcaro则认罪，欺诈，强调贪婪和光滑的营销方式甚至可以使Crypto的爱好者蒙蔽。

PlusToken: The Asian Crypto Heist

Plustoken：亚洲加密抢劫

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以全球观众为目标，那么Plustoken通过专注于亚洲，尤其是中国和韩国来摆脱惊人的规模骗局。 Plustoken于2018年推出，伪装成加密货币钱包和交易所，通过套利交易有望每月回报8％至16％。它的移动应用吸引了用户的界面和推荐奖金，到2019年将积累了超过300万个帐户。

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.

投资者倾注了比特币，以太坊和其他加密货币，认为他们的资金得到了专业管理。实际上，运营商（表明是一群中国程序员）将资产放入了私人钱包中，精心策划了缓慢的流血，使他们超过30亿美元，有些估计表明高达60亿美元。该骗局在2019年中期停滞不前，创始人消失了。

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

中国当局后来逮捕了109名嫌疑人，在2020年定罪了六名头目，但大部分被盗的加密货币已通过混音和交流来洗钱。普鲁斯科肯（Plustoken）的后果也通过市场荡漾，分析师将其大量抛售与2019年的比特币价格下跌联系起来。亚洲加密货币繁荣的骗局暴露了漏洞和追踪非法的困难