Live data from Hacker News

Cryptocurrency scams cost owners $7.7B in 2021, driven by DeFi-based “rug pulls”

blog.chainalysis.com

61–70 of 364 posts

Re: Cryptocurrency scams cost owners $7.7B in 2021, driven by DeFi-based “rug pulls”

#61

In related news, Tether has minted $3B USDT in the last month: https://beincrypto.com/tether-mints-three-billion-usdt-past-...

Hang on, minting and circulating are different things. The USDT circulating supply is currently approximately 76 billion.

Literally nobody claimed otherwise.

Re: Cryptocurrency scams cost owners $7.7B in 2021, driven by DeFi-based “rug pulls”

#62
post #24

This is my biggest complaint against cryptocurrencies in general. I'm happy with my bank's fraud protection. How can crypto users protect themselves without recreating traditional banking? Bitcoin was released ~13 years ago, and wallet/transaction security has been one of the most important requirements since then (along with scalability, but let's not go there). If trillion dollar market caps and god-knows-how-many…

I think the way you protect yourself is the same way people protected themselves before credit cards were widely used. By not spending your cash on things that are scams. Somehow people managed to survive before banks offered their rent seeking / fraud protection and I think they'd be OK without them if push came to shove.

In the US, banking scams and crashes were very common before the various reforms enacted in the early 20th century. Wildcat banks in the west printed money with reckless abandon, which quickly became completely worthless. Bank runs were pretty common, due to a low overall confidence in the banking system. And a worker in 19th century America was lucky if they were paid in actual money, instead of a company scrip.

Re: Cryptocurrency scams cost owners $7.7B in 2021, driven by DeFi-based “rug pulls”

#63

In related news, Tether has minted $3B USDT in the last month: https://beincrypto.com/tether-mints-three-billion-usdt-past-...

Hang on, minting and circulating are different things. The USDT circulating supply is currently approximately 76 billion.

Right, they minted $3B, taking the circulating supply from $73B to $76B.

Re: Cryptocurrency scams cost owners $7.7B in 2021, driven by DeFi-based “rug pulls”

#64
post #24

This is my biggest complaint against cryptocurrencies in general. I'm happy with my bank's fraud protection. How can crypto users protect themselves without recreating traditional banking? Bitcoin was released ~13 years ago, and wallet/transaction security has been one of the most important requirements since then (along with scalability, but let's not go there). If trillion dollar market caps and god-knows-how-many…

Normal individual transactions are secure. I can send money to Bob without worry that someone is going to somehow use the data in that transaction to steal my entire wallet.

The "rug pulls" you see are from contracts written maliciously. DeFi is a ponzi scheme written into a Smart Contract, but some of them have an extra function that allows the creator to instantly steal all the money out of it.

Re: Cryptocurrency scams cost owners $7.7B in 2021, driven by DeFi-based “rug pulls”

#65
post #24

This is my biggest complaint against cryptocurrencies in general. I'm happy with my bank's fraud protection. How can crypto users protect themselves without recreating traditional banking? Bitcoin was released ~13 years ago, and wallet/transaction security has been one of the most important requirements since then (along with scalability, but let's not go there). If trillion dollar market caps and god-knows-how-many…

Cryptocoins are deliberately based on the concept of money reduced to "cash". There is no banking, there is no fraud protection. It is supposed to work that way.

The whole at least somewhat civilized world has moved to a more advanced versions of money, but cryptocoins are a step backwards and it is entirely intentional.

Re: Cryptocurrency scams cost owners $7.7B in 2021, driven by DeFi-based “rug pulls”

#66
post #24

This is my biggest complaint against cryptocurrencies in general. I'm happy with my bank's fraud protection. How can crypto users protect themselves without recreating traditional banking? Bitcoin was released ~13 years ago, and wallet/transaction security has been one of the most important requirements since then (along with scalability, but let's not go there). If trillion dollar market caps and god-knows-how-many…

>How can crypto users protect themselves without recreating traditional banking?

They could just invest in well-established projects with proven technology instead of obvious scams in hopes of a "moon shot". This has very little to do with Bitcoin and other legitimate projects, which are a far cry from useless fly-by-night ERC-20 tokens with stupid animal names

Re: Cryptocurrency scams cost owners $7.7B in 2021, driven by DeFi-based “rug pulls”

#67
post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"I would simply protect myself by not spending cash on things that are scams"

Even professional investors have a hard time telling scams apart from legit operations. Just look at the Madoff scandal. And when even the professionals fail to see scams, how is the general public supposed to do so?

Bernie Madoff's victims were mostly high net worth individuals (dumb money), not professional investors. While professional investors do occasionally get scammed that's much less common.

Re: Cryptocurrency scams cost owners $7.7B in 2021, driven by DeFi-based “rug pulls”

#68

Yeah but like, it’s going to revolutionize fiat currency via blockchain fundamentals and decentralized, high fidelity, p2p transactions! Also, I accidentally sent money to the wrong address, is there a support number I can call to reverse that?

I also lost the access to my wallet. Is there an office I can show up at with my identification and get a new one?

Re: Cryptocurrency scams cost owners $7.7B in 2021, driven by DeFi-based “rug pulls”

#69

The “I have no sympathy for the victims” comments are crass. But there is a legitimate question of how much law enforcement these crimes deserve. Arizona has a stupid motorists law [1]. If a car “becomes stranded after driving around barricades to enter a flooded stretch of roadway,” the driver “may be charged for the cost of their rescue.” A similar concept for crypto may be necessary. Law enforcement will pursue. B…

Any funds allocated to crypto law enforcement should be allocated to punishing tax cheats first

Re: Cryptocurrency scams cost owners $7.7B in 2021, driven by DeFi-based “rug pulls”

#70
post #24

This is my biggest complaint against cryptocurrencies in general. I'm happy with my bank's fraud protection. How can crypto users protect themselves without recreating traditional banking? Bitcoin was released ~13 years ago, and wallet/transaction security has been one of the most important requirements since then (along with scalability, but let's not go there). If trillion dollar market caps and god-knows-how-many…

Use a trusted exchange if you are worried about that. Holding crypto in a wallet is the equivalent of keeping cash in your wallet.

No bank in the world will care if someone steals your wallet.

Post reply on HN