Western Union, Cold-calling, IOTA wallet, bitFlyer, Benebit ICO, My Big Coin and Bitcoin Money Laundering

Seven interesting stories:

1. Victims Scammed Via Western Union May Get Refund – If you need to get a refund, please visit ACCC website for more details. You will have to fill out a form and send documents, but it might be worth trying.
2. Cold-calling – we need to continue to report those unwanted calls. In the UK a company director was disqualified (can’t run or be involved in the management of another company). The company he managed made unsolicited calls for direct marketing purposes. Please find attached a link for the full press release.
3. If you are dealing with IOTA , please do not use online seed generators. According to some news outlets around $4m worth of IOTA were stolen, therefore, it is advisable to review the attached reddit post.
4. bitFlyer EUROPE S.A. Obtains Payment Institution License and Launches Service in Europe. Please find attached a link for the full press release. It is a good sign for EU cryptocurrency users, since now they are more protected.
   According to the press release, in addition to the above, bitFlyer was registered as a virtual currency exchange by the Japan Financial Services Agency in September 2017, and bitFlyer USA is licensed to operate in 42 states as of November 2017.
5. According to bitcoin.com, Benebit ICO has pulled an exit scam, making off with a reported $2.7 million of investor funds. Please find attached a link for the full story.
6. CFTC Charges Randall Crater, Mark Gillespie, and My Big Coin Pay, Inc. with Fraud and Misappropriation in Ongoing Virtual Currency Scam. Defendants allegedly solicited more than $6 million for investments in a virtual currency known as “My Big Coin”. According to the press release “My Big Coin” is a Ponzi scheme.
   Please find attached a link for the full story.
7. New Study Finds Patterns in Money Laundering through Bitcoin. It is the first public domain analysis of how illicit digital currency is laundered around the globe.
   According to the article attached, Bitcoin gambling sites, “mixers” and European Bitcoin exchange may be the destinations of choice for criminals looking to launder bitcoins.