Valentine’s Day Romance Scams: US Prosecutors Warn on Crypto Risks

  vor 8 Monaten

Prosecutors in the U.S. state of Ohio have issued a public warning urging Americans to watch for romance scams tied to cryptocurrency as they celebrate Valentine’s Day. The alert drew attention to a rise in emotionally driven fraud cases where victims are persuaded to send digital assets after forming online relationships. Federal Warning Outlines Latest Tactics The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio said criminals often approach targets through dating apps, social platforms, or text messages, then build trust for weeks or months before requesting money for fabricated emergencies or investments. According to U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer, scammers “prey on trust and emotion,” and they “are not looking for love—they are looking for money.” He added that such criminals often focus on older adults and emotionally vulnerable individuals. His office also cited recent prosecutions and investigations, including a December 2025 case where authorities charged Frederick Kumi, a Ghanaian national accused of helping run a romance fraud network that allegedly took more than $8 million from elderly victims since 2023. Per investigators, the group used AI tools to create false identities and maintain convincing conversations before requesting money. Kumi was arrested in Ghana and is facing charges including wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy. Another case involved an Ohio woman who lost about $663,000 after a stranger contacted her through a “wrong number” text. The fraudster later guided her through opening accounts on Crypto.com and Coinbase, then convinced her to transfer funds to a fake investment platform. Fortunately, detectives from the FBI traced part of the stolen money to cryptocurrency wallets and seized more than $8.2 million in USDT with help from Tether. Data Shows Wider Trend in Crypto-Linked Fraud Recent industry research suggests these crimes fit a broader pattern, as shown in a January 2026 report from blockchain security firm PeckShield, which estimated that crypto scams and hacks cost users more than $4 billion in 2025, with about $1.37 billion tied to scams alone. The company said losses from scams rose about 64% from the previous year, often involving personalized impersonation tactics aimed at high-value targets. The Ohio prosecutors have recommended several ways that people can protect themselves from romance tricksters, including reverse image searches on profile photos, skepticism toward anyone who refuses to meet in person, and a hard rule against sending cryptocurrency, gift cards, or wire transfers to people met online. They also advised victims to preserve all communications and financial records, then file reports with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. Additionally, the National Elder Fraud Hotline operates daily to guide older adults through the reporting process. According to the officials, for those who may have sent crypto, time matters, since law enforcement can freeze stolen assets, but only if wallets are identified before funds move through mixers or overseas exchanges. The post Valentine’s Day Romance Scams: US Prosecutors Warn on Crypto Risks appeared first on CryptoPotato .

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Is $60,000 Bitcoin's Tripwire That Could Unleash A Cascade Of Selloffs?

  vor 8 Monaten

Summary $60,000 is the key “fault line” for Bitcoin: A sustained break below it could quickly escalate volatility rather than produce a normal correction. Deribit options positioning adds downside pressure: about $1.24B in open interest on $60k puts means dealers may hedge by selling BTC/futures as price approaches that level. Below $60k, cascade risk increases: the 200-week MA near ~$58k, BTC-backed loan liquidations, and leveraged position liquidations can combine into forced selling that accelerates the drop (with $50k highlighted as the next major zone of put interest). By Krzysztof Kamiński $60,000 as the market’s flashpoint level In the Bitcoin ( BTC-USD ) market, it is becoming increasingly clear that the area around $60,000 serves as both a psychological and technical “front line.” A move below this level could trigger not only a standard correction, but also a sharp rise in volatility driven by the mechanics of derivatives and BTC-collateralized financing. In other words, near $60,000, multiple factors overlap that, if broken to the downside, can turn a price decline into a cascade of forced transactions. Big bets positioned for a drop below $60,000 One key source of risk is positioning in the options market. On Deribit, there is a strong concentration of puts at the $60,000 strike, with open interest in these instruments reaching roughly $1.24 billion. This market structure matters not because it “guarantees” a decline, but because as the price approaches $60,000, it can force hedging activity from option writers. As risk rises, put sellers often reduce exposure by selling BTC or futures contracts, increasing selling pressure precisely when the market is most sensitive. Bitcoin Open Interest by strike price across all expiries, source: Bloomberg Lower technical support: The 200-week moving average around $58,000 Just below $60,000 there is an additional reference point for some investors: the 200-week moving average, estimated around $58,000. In practice, this means that once $60,000 is broken, the market may quickly test the next technical support. If demand does not respond fast enough, the very fact of the price “sliding” downward can deepen nervousness and accelerate the move. Weekly BTC time chart, source: TradingView BTC-collateralized loans: A forced-selling mechanism Another part of the puzzle is Bitcoin-backed lending. In many financing structures, a drop in price toward specific thresholds triggers automatic actions by the lender—most often the sale of the collateral. This forced selling acts like fuel for declines: as the price falls, additional supply appears not because investors choose to sell, but because of risk-management procedures. Importantly, this mechanism is particularly dangerous when it overlaps with a derivatives market already burdened with heavy positioning. Leverage and liquidations: How a drop can feed on itself In a highly leveraged environment, a price decline quickly worsens collateral metrics in investors’ accounts. When margin no longer meets requirements, positions are forcibly closed, generating another wave of selling and boosting volatility. In this way, the market can enter a “self-fulfilling” sell-off. Selling causes the price to fall, and falling prices trigger further liquidations. In the past, similar episodes ended with a rapid unwinding of risk as billions of dollars’ worth of bullish bets were wiped out. Sentiment and scenarios: From a bounce to a move down toward $50,000 Recent weeks suggest that the $60,000 level is being genuinely tested: on February 6, Bitcoin dipped into this zone and then bounced, and on Friday in New York, it was trading around $67,000, while still notably below its earlier peak. Some market participants emphasize short-term pessimism, visible both in commentary and in hedging structures. In this context, forecast revisions also matter - Standard Chartered lowered its end-2026 target to $100,000, allowing for a drop as low as $50,000 along the way before stabilization. The area around $50,000 is also the next zone of clear put interest. What this puzzle implies The $60,000 level is not important solely because it “looks nice” in headlines. Its significance comes from the overlap of several layers of risk: concentrated options positioning, potential hedging activity, threshold levels in BTC-collateralized loans, and the mechanics of leverage and liquidations. If the price remains above $60,000, the market may function relatively stably despite jittery sentiment. But if there is a sustained breakdown below it, there is a risk that selling pressure will not be a one-off impulse, but rather a sequence of events in which successive market segments force additional trades - raising volatility and deepening the price move. Original Post Editor's Note: The summary bullets for this article were chosen by Seeking Alpha editors.

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Bitcoin and Ethereum Investors Look Beyond Price as Fixed-Income Demand Grows

  vor 8 Monaten

Bitcoin and Ethereum have dominated portfolio conversations for years, but the emphasis has started to shift. Price targets still matter, but they no longer define the entire investment case. More investors are asking what happens between entry and exit, and whether crypto exposure can generate predictable income while positions are held. This change is not sudden. It has been building as market cycles repeat and Bitcoin volatility remains constant. Waiting for prices to rise works when timing is favorable, but it offers no income during flat or declining periods. That has created demand for platforms that separate returns from price performance. Varntix is one platform addressing this shift by offering fixed-rate income on crypto, allowing investors to earn while markets move in either direction. Why investors are reconsidering how they hold crypto Holding Bitcoin or Ethereum has historically worked one way. You buy, you hold, and you wait for the price to climb. If it does, you profit. If it does not, you sit with losses and no income. That approach works during bull markets, but gets harder to justify when volatility increases. Take a $100,000 position that drops 20%. That is $20,000 gone with zero income earned while you wait. This is where Varntix becomes relevant. Instead of depending entirely on price increases, it offers fixed returns over set periods. You earn income whether Bitcoin trades at $60,000 or $100,000. How Varntix works in simple terms Varntix lets you invest in crypto and earn a fixed rate of interest. Here is the process: Choose your term: Pick 6 months to 24 months. Lock in your rate: Agree to a fixed annual rate up to 24%. This rate does not change, regardless of market movements. Get paid in stable currency: Interest is paid in USDT or USDC (stablecoins tied to the dollar), not volatile tokens. You know exactly how many dollars you receive. Choose your payout schedule: Weekly, monthly, or quarterly depending on your term. Early exit option: Redeem early without penalties if you need your money back. The key difference is simple: Varntix pays you fixed income while your money is invested. Regular crypto holdings pay nothing unless you sell at a higher price. Why Varntix matters in volatile markets Market conditions in early 2026 have reminded investors what crypto volatility actually looks like. Prices swing thousands of dollars in a day. Planning becomes difficult when your holdings can drop 15% overnight. Varntix offers a steadier option during these periods. While your crypto investment stays deployed in the market, you are earning a fixed rate that was agreed upfront. You are not hoping for a price pump. You are collecting stable income regardless of daily price swings. This matters because most investors do not want to exit crypto entirely during volatile periods. They want exposure, but they also want income they can count on. Varntix provides both. Transparency and Security Everything happens on the blockchain. When you invest, it gets recorded there. Interest payments are automated through smart contracts, creating a permanent record you can verify. Varntix has its smart contracts audited by independent security firms and publishes monthly proof-of-reserves reports. You can check that funds are actually there. What this means going forward The growing demand for fixed-rate crypto income shows the market is maturing. Speculation has not disappeared, but investors are building strategies that combine growth exposure with predictable income. Varntix offers a straightforward option: invest your crypto, earn a fixed rate, get paid in dollars. The demand for stable income in crypto markets is becoming harder to ignore. Varntix is a digital wealth platform focused on fixed income in crypto and on-chain convertible notes. Learn more at varntix.com .

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Bitcoin ETF Demand Remains Weak As Monthly Netflows Extend Red Streak

  vor 8 Monaten

Data shows the Bitcoin spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have seen their monthly average netflows in the red zone for most of the last 90 days. Both Bitcoin & Ethereum Spot ETFs Have Been Facing Outflows As highlighted by on-chain analytics firm Glassnode in a new post on X, the 30-day simple moving average (SMA) netflows have continued to be in the negative zone for both Bitcoin and Ethereum spot ETFs . Spot ETFs refer to investment vehicles that allow investors to gain exposure to an asset without having to directly own it. In the United States, funds tracking Bitcoin gained approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) back in January 2024. Ethereum ETFs followed in July 2024. The advantage of these vehicles is that traders can invest in the cryptocurrencies without dealing with any blockchain component like wallets and exchanges. Whenever an investor puts their capital into an ETF, the fund buys the equivalent amount of the cryptocurrency and custodies it on their behalf. Some traditional investors were previously wary of the digital asset sector due to the unfamiliar blockchain infrastructure, but the ETFs removed that roadblock, bringing in fresh demand into the market from such traders. While both Bitcoin and Ethereum funds have enjoyed net inflows for the majority of their lifespan, the trend has shifted recently. First, here is the chart for the US BTC spot ETF netflow shared by Glassnode that shows the trend in its 30-day SMA value over the last couple of years: As displayed in the above graph, the US Bitcoin spot ETFs have seen their 30-day SMA netflow sit inside the red zone for much of the last three months. The only time when the metric turned positive was during the price recovery surge in January. The reason behind the outflows naturally lies in the price drawdown that the asset has faced inside this window. Ethereum has also seen a similarly bearish shift, and it’s reflected in the coin’s spot ETF netflow. For both the cryptocurrencies, the most amount of outflows occurred during the last quarter of 2025, but they have still been occurring at a notable pace in February. As such, with both the Bitcoin and Ethereum spot ETF netflows maintaining at negative values, the analytics firm has concluded that there is no sign of renewed demand in the space yet. BTC Price At the time of writing, Bitcoin is floating around $69,200, up over 5% in the last seven days.

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US Treasury Secretary Urges Congress To Pass Crypto Market Structure Bill This Spring

  vor 8 Monaten

The US Secretary of the Treasury has called for the passage of the long-awaited crypto market structure bill this spring to provide reassurance to the industry amid recent market volatility. Bessent Calls For Crypto Market Structure Bill On Friday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urged the US lawmakers to pass the stalled crypto market structure bill soon, highlighting the importance of getting the legislation on President Donald Trump’s desk before the end of the spring legislative window. In a CNBC interview , Bessent affirmed that part of the recent market volatility was “self-induced” due to the reaction of some industry participants to the bill. He affirmed that some digital assets firms have been blocking it, which hasn’t been “good for the overall crypto community.” Notably, the long-awaited CLARITY Act has been stalled for nearly a month after the Senate Banking Committee published its bill draft. The legislation was heavily criticized by crypto industry leaders, who slammed multiple of its policies, including key restrictions for stablecoin issuers. The Treasury Secretary considers that passing the bill would “give great comfort” to the market at a time of significant volatility. Moreover, he pointed out that there’s a bipartisan working group trying to advance the legislation, with democrats “that want to work with republicans on getting a market structure bill.” However, Bessent noted that the chances of getting a deal done could fall apart if Democrats take control of the House of Representatives in November, highlighting the Biden administration’s crackdown on the industry. “There’s a lot of innovation that goes on adjacent to crypto, the blockchain, and DeFi. So, I think it’s important to get this clarity bill done as soon as possible and on the president’s desk this spring,” he concluded. ‘More Work To Be Done’ Similarly, Patrick Witt, executive director of the US President’s Council of Advisors for Digital Assets, discussed the progress on the crypto market structure bill on Friday. Speaking with Yahoo Finance, Witt stated, “We are working hard to address the issues that were raised that led to the postponement of that markup and hopefully get that back on the book soon.” He highlighted that lawmakers were able to pass the Senate Agriculture Committee’s half of the CLARITY Act, which handles the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)’s portion of the bill. The Crypto Council’s executive director outlined that once the Senate Banking Committee’s portion of the bill is passed, the two pieces of legislation will need to be reconciled before a final vote on the Senate floor. “So, more work to be done, but we are a step closer with the passage of the Ag portion of this a couple of weeks ago,” he said. Discussing who must bend to advance the bill, Witt affirmed that both sides would have to compromise . “It’s unfortunate that this has become such a big issue, because ultimately, this is not the stablecoin bill that was the GENIUS Act,” he said. “What we’ve encouraged both sides to do is find a middle ground. Let’s use a scalpel heel here to address this narrow issue of idle yield (…). But let’s not take a chainsaw out of this; let’s not let this derail the bill. There is so much goodness in this bill, no matter what your perspective is,” Witt continued. He listed some of the “excellent measures” proposed in the bill, including the clear line between the SEC and the CFTC, regulatory jurisdiction, and developer protections, which he considers to be “critical to future-proof this industry from a future Gary Gensler or, God forbid, a Secretary of the Treasury Elizabeth Warren.” Lastly, he shared that the White House might host another meeting between the banking and crypto industry to discuss the payment of stablecoin rewards.

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When Will Bitcoin Bounce Back? Top Analyst Breaks Down Prior Major Corrections

  vor 8 Monaten

As Bitcoin (BTC) trades roughly 50% below its all‑time high, investors are once again asking the familiar question: how long does recovery usually take? Market analyst Sam Daodu believes history offers valuable clues. No Systemic Bitcoin Collapse This Time? Daodu notes that steep corrections are not unusual for Bitcoin. Since 2011, the cryptocurrency has endured more than 20 pullbacks exceeding 40%. Mid‑cycle declines in the 35% to 50% range have often cooled overheated rallies without permanently derailing long‑term uptrends. In situations where there was no systemic breakdown in the broader market, Bitcoin has typically reclaimed prior highs in about 14 months. He contrasts the current environment with 2022, when multiple structural failures shook the crypto industry. Related Reading: Trump Media Files For Cronos, Bitcoin‑Ether ETFs With Staking Focus At present, there is no comparable collapse rippling through the system. The analyst highlighted that BTC’s realized price—currently near $55,000—may provide a psychological and technical floor, as long‑term holders have historically accumulated coins around that level. Whether the present downturn evolves into a drawn‑out slump or a shorter reset, Daodu suggests, will largely hinge on global liquidity conditions and investor sentiment. A Look Back At Historic Selloffs During the 2021–2022 cycle, Bitcoin peaked at $69,000 in November 2021 before tumbling to $15,500 one year later, a 77% drop. The downturn coincided with monetary tightening by the US Federal Reserve, alongside the collapse of the Terra (Luna) ecosystem and FTX’s bankruptcy. It ultimately took 28 months for Bitcoin to surpass its previous high, which it did in March 2024. At the market bottom, long‑term holders controlled roughly 60% of circulating supply, absorbing coins from forced sellers. The 2020 COVID‑19 crash unfolded very differently. In March of that year, Bitcoin plunged about 58%, sliding from approximately $9,100 to $3,800 as global lockdowns triggered a liquidity shock. Bitcoin rebounded quickly. It reclaimed the $10,000 level within six weeks and retook its 2017 high of $20,000 by December 2020, about nine months after the bottom. The eventual surge to $69,000 in November 2021 came roughly 21 months after the crash. The 2018 bear market presents yet another contrast. After reaching $20,000 in December 2017, Bitcoin collapsed 84% to $3,200 by December 2018. The implosion of the initial coin offering (ICO) boom, combined with regulatory crackdowns and limited institutional participation, drained speculative energy from the market. Active addresses declined by 70%, and miners were forced to capitulate as revenues shrank. Without significant new capital or a compelling growth narrative, Bitcoin required nearly three years to revisit its previous peak. Not Capitulation Yet The depth of the drawdown itself plays a critical role. Historically, corrections in the 40% to 50% range have taken roughly nine to 14 months to reverse, while collapses exceeding 80% have required three years or longer. Related Reading: Standard Chartered Lowers Bitcoin Forecast: Predicts Price Dive To $50,000 Before Rebound With Bitcoin now down about 50% from its peak, the decline falls into what Daodu describes as a moderate‑to‑severe category—substantial, but not indicative of full capitulation. Based on prior episodes of similar magnitude, he estimates that a return to previous highs could take 12 months or more, with macroeconomic conditions ultimately determining the speed of that rebound. As of writing, BTC was trading at $68,960, having recovered slightly on Friday with a 5% increase in an attempt to surpass its short-term resistance wall at $70,000. Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com

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