{"id":123138,"date":"2025-12-26T12:18:54","date_gmt":"2025-12-26T12:18:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/?p=123138"},"modified":"2025-12-26T12:18:54","modified_gmt":"2025-12-26T12:18:54","slug":"sec-cracks-down-on-7-in-14m-scam-amid-record-wave-of-bitcoin-filings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/?p=123138","title":{"rendered":"SEC Cracks Down On 7 In $14M Scam Amid Record Wave Of Bitcoin Filings"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Is the Bitcoin price in danger heading into 2026? The US Securities and Exchange Commission has charged three crypto trading platforms and four affiliated investment clubs for allegedly defrauding American retail investors out of roughly $14 Mn.<\/p>\n<p>This crackdown is landing just as Washington is finally building a clearer regulatory perimeter around <a class=\"general-link\" href=\"https:\/\/99bitcoins.com\/cryptocurrency\/crypto-presales\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">digital assets<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p> BULLISH:<\/p>\n<p> SEC Chair Paul Atkins says crypto market structure legislation will soon pass in Congress.<\/p>\n<p>This will drop market manipulation by 70%-80%. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/lllPXrgH4I\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/lllPXrgH4I<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Max Crypto (@MaxCrypto) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MaxCrypto\/status\/2003782141034054096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">December 24, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n\n<p>According to the SEC, Morocoin Tech Corp., Berge Blockchain Technology Co. Ltd., and Cirkor Inc. worked in tandem with AI Wealth Inc., Lane Wealth Inc., AI Investment Education Foundation Ltd., and Zenith Asset Tech Foundation to run what regulators describe as an<strong> \u201cinvestment confidence scam.\u201d<\/strong> The targets were everyday investors pulled in through <a class=\"general-link\" href=\"https:\/\/99bitcoins.com\/cryptocurrency\/new-cryptocurrency\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WhatsApp groups<\/a>, social media ads, and promises of AI-powered trading insights.<\/p>\n<p>Laura D\u2019Allaird, Chief of the SEC\u2019s Cyber and Emerging Technologies Unit, was blunt:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis matter highlights an all-too-common form of investment scam being used to target US retail investors with devastating consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>DISCOVER: <a class=\"general-link\" href=\"https:\/\/99bitcoins.com\/cryptocurrency\/next-crypto-to-explode\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">20+ Next Crypto to Explode in 2025<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>Is Bitcoin Price Avoiding This? How the Scam Worked and Why It Still Works<\/h2>\n<div class=\"chart crypto-chart-instance\">\n<div class=\"chart__header\">\n<div class=\"chart__info\">\n<div class=\"chart__info-icon\">\n<div class=\"chart__info-name\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"chart__info-symbol\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"chart__info-current\">\n<div class=\"chart__info-price\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"chart__info-change\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"chart__info-extra\">\n<div class=\"chart__info-label\">Market Cap<\/div>\n<div class=\"chart__info-marketcap\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"chart__controls\">\n<div class=\"chart__controls-group\">\n\t\t\t\t<button class=\"chart__button chart__button--24h\">24h<\/button><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<button class=\"chart__button chart__button--7d\">7d<\/button><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<button class=\"chart__button chart__button--30d\">30d<\/button><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<button class=\"chart__button chart__button--1y\">1y<\/button><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<button class=\"chart__button chart__button--all-time\">All Time<\/button>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"chart__container\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Between January 2024 and January 2025, the alleged operators funneled victims into fake investment clubs, then nudged them to deposit funds onto what appeared to be licensed crypto trading platforms. The platforms were not real, however, and the trades never happened. The promised Security Token Offerings did not exist.<\/p>\n<p>When investors tried to withdraw, the scammers demanded additional fees, then blocked access entirely. The SEC estimates<a class=\"general-link\" href=\"https:\/\/99bitcoins.com\/cryptocurrency\/next-1000x-crypto\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">at least $14 Mn<\/a> was siphoned off and routed overseas through banks and crypto wallets.<\/p>\n<p>(Source: <a class=\"general-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.soliduslabs.com\/post\/rug-pull-crypto-scams\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SolidusLabs<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>I have covered enough of these cases to know the script rarely changes. What also doesn\u2019t change is while these attacks plague DeFi, they never come through Bitcoin itself.<\/p>\n<p><strong><span>DISCOVER:\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"general-link\" href=\"https:\/\/99bitcoins.com\/cryptocurrency\/next-1000x-crypto\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span>Next 1000X Crypto: 10+ Crypto Tokens That Can Hit 1000x in 2025<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>Data Shows Regulators Are Watching Crypto More Closely Than Ever<\/h2>\n<p>According to The Block\u2019s Data and Insights newsletter, blockchain-related mentions in SEC filings surged to roughly 8,000 by August 2025 and stayed elevated through November. Bitcoin-related references dominated, reflecting the explosion of spot Bitcoin ETF filings after approvals in early 2024.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"general-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.coingecko.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CoinGecko data<\/a> shows Bitcoin remains the focal point for institutional crypto exposure, while DeFi Llama reports that total value locked has stabilized in the tens of billions, signaling consolidation rather than speculative excess. The upshot is stay safe out there this Christmas season! Scams still plague this industry.<\/p>\n<p><strong>EXPLORE: <a class=\"general-link\" href=\"https:\/\/99bitcoins.com\/news\/altcoins\/singapore-denies-do-kwons-14m-refund-demand-for-stolen-penthouse\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Singapore Denies Do Kwon\u2019s $14M Refund Demand For \u2018Stolen\u2019 Penthouse<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><a class=\"general-link\" href=\"https:\/\/discord.gg\/B7Uk6agkqj\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Join The 99Bitcoins News Discord Here For The Latest Market Updates<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"nnbtc-key-takeaways\">\n<h2 class=\"nnbtc-key-takeaways__title\">Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<p>        Is the Bitcoin price in danger heading into 2026? The US Securities and Exchange Commission has charged three crypto trading platforms \u2026    <\/p>\n<p>         According to The Block\u2019s Data and Insights newsletter, blockchain-related mentions in SEC filings surged to roughly 8,000 by August 2025.    <\/p><\/div>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/99bitcoins.com\/news\/bitcoin-btc\/sec-cracks-down-on-7-in-14m-scam-amid-record-wave-of-bitcoin-filings\/\">SEC Cracks Down On 7 In $14M Scam Amid Record Wave Of Bitcoin Filings<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/99bitcoins.com\/\">99Bitcoins<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Is the Bitcoin price in danger heading into 2026? The US Securities and Exchange Commission has charged three crypto trading platforms and four affiliated investment clubs for allegedly defrauding American retail investors out of roughly $14 Mn. This crackdown is landing just as Washington is finally building a clearer regulatory perimeter around digital assets. BULLISH: [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-123138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-discovery"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123138"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=123138"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123138\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=123138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=123138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=123138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}