Optioment Bitcoin Scam Triggers Europe-Wide Manhunt
HomeCryptocurrency NewsBitcoinist.com

Optioment Bitcoin Scam Triggers Europe-Wide Manhunt

After possibly thousands of investors got burned by arbitrage-trading company Optioment last year, Austrian authorities have asked Interpol ...

8 Reasons Why Bitcoin Looks Even Better Than in 2017
‘Doesn’t Seem Like Too Many People are Selling’ – Says Bitcoin Market Analyst
Why Bitcoin Price Surged Over $5,000 For the First Time in 5 Months

After possibly thousands of investors got burned by arbitrage-trading company Optioment last year, Austrian authorities have asked Interpol to help track down the fraudsters responsible for the Bitcoin scam.


Another Bitcoin Scam Burns Buyers

European authorities are on the hunt for criminals involved in defrauding thousands of individuals and losing over $100 million worth of investors’ Bitcoin.

According to reports, Optioment ran a now-defunct website while holding large-scale events in Austria — in which the company advertised itself as a “private Costa Rica-based Bitcoin fund” promising unrealistic returns. Law firm Lansky, Ganzger & Partner claims Optioment promised weekly interest payments upwards of 4 percent on long-term Bitcoin deposits, with the added incentivization of inviting new users.

Optioment apparently paid out returns on a timely basis at the beginning of its operation, which boosted investor confidence and encouraged users to reinvest in the scheme. Sometime around the massive bull run in November and December of last year, however, the returns stopped coming, and the fraudulent scheme collapsed.

Spokeswoman Christina Ratz told Bloomberg that prosecutors in Vienna are consolidating “hundreds of complaints” against the fraudulent company, and Die Presse originally reported that upwards of 10,000 individuals have been victimized, resulting in roughly 12,000 lost bitcoins — currently worth an estimated $118.5 million at the time of this writing.

According to Bloomberg, no arrests have yet been made, but Interpol has been asked to investigate individuals in Denmark, Latvia, and Germany.

Reinforcing European Rhetoric

The hunt for Optioment’s operators comes at a time when some European countries are calling for a crackdown on cryptocurrency.

French Finance Minister Bruno le Maire and interim German Finance Minister Peter Altmaier have gone on record to state that cryptocurrencies are risky for investors and threaten long-term global financial stability.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has also expressed concerns over cryptocurrency’s criminal usage, stating that she is looking “very seriously” at cryptocurrencies “because of the way they are used, particularly by criminals.”

EU

Additionally, European Central Bank board member Yves Mersch has recently stated that cryptocurrencies are “not money, nor will they be for the foreseeable future.”

Most recently, the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) have also recently issued a press release warning consumers of the dangers associated with buying cryptocurrency.

Do you think scams like Optioment are permanently damaging the reputation of cryptocurrency in Europe and around the world? Let us know in the comments below!


Images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/@Plani and Bitcoinist archives.

The post Optioment Bitcoin Scam Triggers Europe-Wide Manhunt appeared first on Bitcoinist.com.



from Bitcoinist.com http://ift.tt/2C3V0G3
Name

Bitcoin News,5117,Bitcoinist.com,4741,Cryptocurrencies,4741,Cryptocurrencies Latest News,5117,Cryptocurrency Latest News,4741,Cryptocurrency News,9858,
ltr
item
Cryptocurrency Latest News: Optioment Bitcoin Scam Triggers Europe-Wide Manhunt
Optioment Bitcoin Scam Triggers Europe-Wide Manhunt
http://bitcoinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/afp-interpol.jpg
Cryptocurrency Latest News
http://cryptocurrencylatest.blogspot.com/2018/02/optioment-bitcoin-scam-triggers-europe.html
http://cryptocurrencylatest.blogspot.com/
http://cryptocurrencylatest.blogspot.com/
http://cryptocurrencylatest.blogspot.com/2018/02/optioment-bitcoin-scam-triggers-europe.html
true
1236144943044321696
UTF-8
Loaded All Posts Not found any posts VIEW ALL Readmore Reply Cancel reply Delete By Home PAGES POSTS View All RECOMMENDED FOR YOU LABEL ARCHIVE SEARCH ALL POSTS Not found any post match with your request Back Home Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat January February March April May June July August September October November December Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec just now 1 minute ago $$1$$ minutes ago 1 hour ago $$1$$ hours ago Yesterday $$1$$ days ago $$1$$ weeks ago more than 5 weeks ago Followers Follow THIS CONTENT IS PREMIUM Please share to unlock Copy All Code Select All Code All codes were copied to your clipboard Can not copy the codes / texts, please press [CTRL]+[C] (or CMD+C with Mac) to copy