{"id":54457,"date":"2025-06-18T16:32:58","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T16:32:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/crypto-scams-spike-as-meme-coins-weak-laws-fuel-2-1b-crime-wave\/"},"modified":"2025-06-18T16:32:58","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T16:32:58","slug":"crypto-scams-spike-as-meme-coins-weak-laws-fuel-2-1b-crime-wave","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/crypto-scams-spike-as-meme-coins-weak-laws-fuel-2-1b-crime-wave\/","title":{"rendered":"Crypto scams spike as meme coins, weak laws fuel $2.1B crime wave"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>(Originally posted on : CoinJournal: Latest Crypto News, Altcoin News and Cryptocurrency Comparison )<\/b><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-site=\"CoinJournal\">\n<div class=\"-mt-16  mb-8  lg:-mt-20  rounded-md  shadow-md\">\n<div class=\"relative  z-10  post-article-image  rounded  overflow-hidden\" data-site=\"CoinJournal\">\n<picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/coinjournal.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/imagecache\/2025\/06\/image-48-smartcrop-750x375.webp\" type=\"image\/webp\" media=\"(min-width: 750px)\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/coinjournal.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/imagecache\/2025\/06\/image-48-smartcrop-363x181.webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/coinjournal.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/imagecache\/2025\/06\/image-48-smartcrop-750x375.png\" type=\"image\/jpeg\" media=\"(min-width: 750px)\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/coinjournal.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/imagecache\/2025\/06\/image-48-smartcrop-363x181.png\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"\/>\n<\/picture>                            <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>Over 50% of some crypto protocol volumes involve stolen funds.<\/li>\n<li>$2.1 billion stolen via crypto hacks so far in 2025.<\/li>\n<li>Tron blockchain \u201cBlack U\u201d market worth up to $10 billion.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"152\" data-end=\"716\">The crypto industry is facing a fresh wave of crime, driven by a rise in politically backed meme coins and legal loopholes that continue to shield malicious actors.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"152\" data-end=\"716\">Blockchain investigator ZachXBT, known for tracking on-chain fraud, warned in a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/zachxbt\/status\/1935178436970168347\">recent post on X<\/a> that crypto-related crimes have entered a \u201csupercycle\u201d, with fraudulent activities becoming more sophisticated and widespread.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"152\" data-end=\"716\">His comments come amid a broader industry reckoning, as high-value hacks, phishing schemes, and the misuse of decentralised protocols threaten to undermine trust in the space.<\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"718\" data-end=\"790\">Outdated court rulings and unchecked influencers add to the problem<\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"791\" data-end=\"1110\">According to ZachXBT, one of the major reasons behind the crime surge is the way courts continue to side with exploiters of smart contracts due to obsolete legal frameworks.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"791\" data-end=\"1110\">In many cases, those who manipulate decentralised systems walk free because judges interpret code-based exploits as fair use rather than theft.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1112\" data-end=\"1540\">He also highlighted the role of influencers and key opinion leaders (KOLs) who promote fraudulent crypto projects without facing any consequences.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1112\" data-end=\"1540\">In jurisdictions where failing to disclose paid advertisements is illegal, enforcement remains weak or non-existent.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1112\" data-end=\"1540\">ZachXBT estimated that regulators could have made between $50 million and $100 million in fines over the years by holding such individuals and projects accountable.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1542\" data-end=\"1901\">In a tweet, he remarked that \u201cif you ever wanted the opportunity to extract from the industry, there\u2019s not been much of a better time,\u201d referencing the sense of lawlessness currently dominating the ecosystem.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1542\" data-end=\"1901\">He added that over half of all transaction volume in certain protocols involves stolen funds, and yet teams continue to collect fees without scrutiny.<\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"1903\" data-end=\"1968\">Criminals exploit blockchain transparency and weak oversight<\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"1969\" data-end=\"2185\">While blockchain technology allows for full transaction transparency, which helps trace illicit funds, ZachXBT said that it also enables crime by giving bad actors insight into network activity and vulnerabilities.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2187\" data-end=\"2531\">North Korean-linked groups such as Lazarus have allegedly taken advantage of this.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2187\" data-end=\"2531\">ZachXBT suggested that laundering groups and OTC brokers have successfully processed stolen funds from platforms like Bybit, DMM Bitcoin, and WazirX.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2187\" data-end=\"2531\">These operations often go undetected for extended periods due to the volume and complexity of transactions involved.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2533\" data-end=\"2808\">He also claimed that a shadow market, dubbed \u201cBlack U,\u201d has emerged on the Tron blockchain, with an estimated value between $5 billion and $10 billion.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2533\" data-end=\"2808\">Much of this activity is suspected to involve laundering operations that are difficult to track despite blockchain records.<\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"2810\" data-end=\"2867\">Losses continue to mount across the industry in 2025<\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"2868\" data-end=\"3273\">ZachXBT\u2019s warning coincides with mounting evidence of damage. According to blockchain security firm CertiK, more than $2.1 billion has been lost to crypto attacks in 2025 so far.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2868\" data-end=\"3273\">In May alone, cybersecurity company PeckShield reported 20 significant crypto hacks amounting to $244.1 million in stolen assets.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2868\" data-end=\"3273\">Although this marks a 39.29% decrease from April, the scale of ongoing theft remains alarming.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3275\" data-end=\"3592\">The recent rise in data leaks has further exposed user vulnerabilities, highlighting the need for stronger protections.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3594\" data-end=\"3885\">ZachXBT concluded his remarks by questioning whether systemic change would only occur after large-scale losses force regulators to act.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3594\" data-end=\"3885\">For now, the combination of speculative mania, regulatory gaps, and unchecked promotion continues to create a fertile environment for crypto-related crime.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-banner  container  pt-1\" data-partner=\"bitcoinpepe\">\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/bitcoinpepe.co\/en?utm_source=coinjournal&amp;utm_medium=banner&amp;utm_campaign=header\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener\"><br \/>\n            <img src=\"https:\/\/coinjournal.net\/wp-content\/themes\/c1-base\/dist\/img\/ad\/blockovate\/en-3.png\"\/><br \/>\n        <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"post-meta\">\n<hr class=\"mb-6\"\/>\n<h6 class=\"text-3xl  mb-4  text-green-300\">Share this article<\/h6>\n<hr class=\"mb-6\"\/>\n<h6 class=\"text-3xl  mb-4  text-green-300\">Categories<\/h6>\n<hr class=\"mb-6\"\/>\n<h6 class=\"text-3xl  mb-4  text-green-300\">Tags<\/h6>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/coinjournal.net\/news\/crypto-scams-spike-as-meme-coins-weak-laws-fuel-2-1b-crime-wave\/\">Source link <\/a><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(Originally posted on : CoinJournal: Latest Crypto News, Altcoin News and Cryptocurrency Comparison ) Over 50% of some crypto protocol volumes involve stolen funds. $2.1 billion stolen via crypto hacks so far in 2025. Tron blockchain \u201cBlack U\u201d market worth up to $10 billion. The crypto industry is facing a fresh wave of crime, driven [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3947362361,"featured_media":54458,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54457"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3947362361"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54457"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54457\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}