FBI：加密貨幣詐欺案件增加 45%，達到 56 億美元

從埼玉縣開始調查，但發現了一個狡猾的網絡

The FBI has charged four cryptocurrency companies (Saitama, Robo Inu, VZZN and Lilian Finance) and four ‘market maker’ firms (Gotbit, ZM Quant, CLS Global and MyTradeMM) alleging they worked together to pump and dump a smorgasbord of shitcoins.

FBI 已指控四家加密貨幣公司（Saitama、Robo Inu、VZZN 和Lilian Finance）和四家「做市商」公司（Gotbit、ZM Quant、CLS Global 和MyTradeMM），指控他們共同拉高和拋售大量垃圾幣。

Sounds kinda standard for the crypto market doesn’t it?

聽起來有點像是加密貨幣市場的標準，不是嗎？

The twist is that one of these shitcoins, NexFundAI, was actually created by the FBI for the express purpose of catching these dodgy companies as they attempted to fraudulently pump the token’s price.

不同之處在於，其中一種垃圾幣 NexFundAI 實際上是由 FBI 創建的，其明確目的是抓捕這些試圖欺詐性抬高代幣價格的狡猾公司。

The FBI’s investigation began after it received a tip off from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that the crypto company, Saitama, was engaging in market manipulation to increase the price of its token. The FBI’s investigation of Saitama led to the eventual launch of NexFundAI, which allowed the bureau to observe up close how these ‘market makers’ pumped the token at the expense of legitimate investors.

美國聯邦調查局 (FBI) 收到美國證券交易委員會 (SEC) 的舉報後開始調查，稱加密貨幣公司 Saitama 正在操縱市場以提高其代幣價格。 FBI 對埼玉縣的調查最終導致了 NexFundAI 的推出，這使得該局能夠近距離觀察這些「做市商」如何以犧牲合法投資者的利益為代價來炒作代幣。

In all, 18 individuals and organisations have been charged with fraud, including four large crypto firms, the leaders of the ‘market making’ firms and several employees of the ‘market making’ firms. So far, four of the alleged fraudsters have pleaded guilty and several wash trading bots — responsible for tens of millions of dollars worth of fraudulent trades in over 60 different cryptocurrencies — have been shut down.

總共有 18 名個人和組織被指控欺詐，其中包括四家大型加密貨幣公司、「做市」公司的領導人以及「做市」公司的幾名員工。到目前為止，四名涉嫌詐欺者已認罪，數個洗錢交易機器人（負責 60 多種不同加密貨幣價值數千萬美元的詐欺交易）已被關閉。

The FBI received information from the SEC suggesting that Saitama, which at one time had a market cap of over US$7 billion, was engaging in market manipulation to pump the price of its token.

FBI 從 SEC 收到的資訊表明，一度市值超過 70 億美元的 Saitama 正在參與市場操縱，以提高其代幣的價格。

During the course of its Saitama investigation, the FBI identified that Robo Inu, VZZN and Lillian Finance were all also committing fraud and other crimes as they attempted to pump their token prices. All of these companies, other than Lillian Finance, are closely linked to former Saitama employees. The leaders of the four companies are now facing numerous criminal charges.

在埼玉縣調查過程中，聯邦調查局發現 Robo Inu、VZZN 和 Lillian Finance 在試圖抬高代幣價格時也犯下詐欺和其他犯罪行為。除莉蓮金融外，所有這些公司都與前埼玉員工關係密切。這四家公司的領導人目前面臨多項刑事指控。

The FBI says that these companies and their leaders “made false statements about their cryptocurrencies (“tokens”) and executed sham trades in those tokens (“wash trades”) to create the appearance of trading activity that would make the tokens look like good investments.”

FBI 表示，這些公司及其領導人「對其加密貨幣（「代幣」）做出了虛假陳述，並對這些代幣進行了虛假交易（「清洗交易」），以製造交易活動的假象，使這些代幣看起來像是好的投資」。

Acting United States Attorney Joshua Levy said:

美國代理檢察官約書亞‧利維 (Joshua Levy) 表示：

“This case demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to protecting investors from fraud in the emerging cryptocurrency market. Through a sophisticated investigation, the FBI was able to infiltrate a network of fraudsters and expose their مخطط to manipulate the cryptocurrency market.”

「此案顯示了聯邦調查局致力於保護投資者免受新興加密貨幣市場詐欺的承諾。透過複雜的調查，聯邦調查局能夠滲透到欺詐者網路中，並揭露他們操縱加密貨幣市場的手段。

The FBI’s Shitcoin Catches ‘Market Makers’ in The Act

FBI 的 Shitcoin 在該法案中逮捕了“做市商”

During its investigation into Saitama, the FBI began cooperating with several witnesses to launch its token, NexFundAI, to use as bait to get the dodgy ‘market makers’ interested.

在對埼玉縣進行調查期間，FBI 開始與幾名目擊者合作推出其代幣 NexFundAI，作為誘餌來吸引狡猾的「做市商」的興趣。

Three of these ‘market makers’ — ZM Quant, CLS Global and MyTrade MM — either engaged in, or conspired to engage in, wash trading on behalf of NexFundAI. A fourth ‘market maker’, GotBit and its leadership team were also charged for their involvement in a similar but separate scheme.

其中三個「做市商」——ZM Quant、CLS Global 和 MyTrade MM——代表 NexFundAI 參與或密謀參與清洗交易。第四個「做市商」GotBit 及其領導團隊也因參與類似但獨立的計劃而受到指控。

Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division, said the fraud took place in the emerging cryptocurrency market and took advantage of new opportunities presented by blockchain technology:

負責聯邦調查局波士頓分部的特工喬迪·科恩表示，詐欺行為發生在新興的加密貨幣市場，並利用了區塊鏈技術帶來的新機會：

“The fraudsters used these opportunities to quickly generate illicit profits, while leaving behind a trail of deceived investors and endangered retirement accounts.”

“欺詐者利用這些機會迅速賺取非法利潤，同時留下了一系列受騙投資者和麵臨風險的退休帳戶。”