California Launches Crackdown on 11 Crypto Firms Accused of Running Ponzi Schemes – Regulation Bitcoin News

California Launches Crackdown on 11 Crypto Firms Accused of Running Ponzi Schemes – Regulation Bitcoin News

The California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) has cracked down on 11 cryptocurrency companies accused of violating California securities laws. Nine of the firms are said to have solicited funds from investors to trade cryptocurrencies on their clients’ behalf. One of the accused companies laid out an alleged metaverse software development plan, and another firm claimed to be a “decentralized finance (defi) platform.”

11 Crypto Firms Targeted by California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation

California’s financial regulator, DFPI, has been targeting companies with crypto assets, and on Tuesday the financial watchdog launched a “crackdown” against nearly a dozen digital currency-centric entities. DFPI “issued cease and desist orders against 11 different entities for violating California securities laws,” the regulator said on September 27. The state regulator further noted that the operations are accused of running a pyramid or Ponzi scheme.

California launches crackdown on 11 crypto firms accused of running Ponzi schemes

“The entities are all said to have used investor funds to pay alleged profits to other investors, similar to a Ponzi scheme,” DFPI’s press release states. “Additionally, each of the entities had a referral program that operated similarly to a pyramid scheme. The entities promised to pay investors commissions if they recruited new investors, and further commissions if the investors they recruited in turn recruited new investors.”

DFPI’s intervention follows the cease and desist order it sent to crypto lender Nexo on Monday. Nexo is accused of offering and selling “ineligible securities, in the form of earn interest product accounts,” since “at least June 2020,” the regulator’s complaint details. The 11 cease and desist orders issued on Tuesday describe the entities as allegedly offering “classic examples of high yield investment programs (HYIPs).” The 11 crypto companies named in the cease and desist orders include:

  • Cryptos OTC Trading Platform Limited d/b/a COTP
  • Elevate Pass LLC
  • Greencorp Investment LLC
  • Metafi Yielders Pty Ltd d/b/a Metafi Yielders
  • Pegasus
  • Polinur ME Limited
  • Rembit
  • City Trade
  • Sytrex Trade
  • Vexam Limited
  • World Over the Counter Limited d/b/a World OTC
See also  Bitcoin falls as CFTC sues crypto exchange Binance

During the announcement on Tuesday, DFPI Commissioner Clothilde Hewlett commented on the actions taking place against the crypto firms accused of Ponzi-like operations. “DFPI will continue to protect California consumers and investors from crypto fraud and scams,” Hewlett said. “These actions not only protect consumers, but also ensure that California remains the premier global location for responsible crypto-asset companies to start and grow,” the commissioner added.

Tags in this story

11 crypto firms, california, California regulator, Clothilde Hewlett, Consumers, Crackdown, cryptopyramid, Cryptos OTC Trading Platform, Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, DFPI, DFPI Commissioner, Elevate Pass, GreenCorp Investment, Metafi Yielders, Nexo, Pegasus, Polinur ME Limited , Ponzi, Ponzi Schemes, Pyramid, Regulation, regulator, Regulators, Remabit, Sity Trade, Sytrex Trade, Vexam Limited, World OTC, World Over the Counter

What do you think about the California regulator cracking down on 11 different crypto companies? Let us know what you think about this topic in the comments section below.

Jamie Redman

Jamie Redman is the news editor at Bitcoin.com News and a financial technology journalist living in Florida. Redman has been an active member of the cryptocurrency community since 2011. He has a passion for Bitcoin, open source and decentralized applications. Since September 2015, Redman has written more than 6,000 articles for Bitcoin.com News about the disruptive protocols emerging today.




Image credit: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or an endorsement or recommendation of products, services or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is directly or indirectly responsible for damages or losses caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on content, goods or services mentioned in this article.

You may also like...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *