9 entries tagged “nft”.
An NFT collection launched on OpenSea in September 2021 that promised a fighting game. About a week later its anonymous developer 'Evil Ape' vanished with 798 ETH (~$2.7M). In June 2024 U.S. prosecutors charged three U.K. nationals over the scheme.
A knockoff of the Mutant Ape Yacht Club NFTs whose creator, French national Aurelien Michel, raised ~$2.9M then 'rug-pulled' buyers, abandoning promised rewards. He was arrested at JFK in 2023, pleaded guilty to wire-fraud conspiracy, and forfeited $1.4M.
An NFT 'play-to-earn' game promoted by Logan Paul in 2021 that never fully launched after raising millions. A Coffeezilla exposé called it a 'rug pull'; Paul apologized and offered refunds. An investor class action against Paul was dismissed; a defamation suit over the 'scam' label was ongoing.
An 8,888-piece NFT collection whose two creators abruptly shut it down within hours of selling out in Jan 2022 and moved ~$1.1M to their own wallets. The U.S. DOJ charged Ethan Nguyen and Andre Llacuna with wire fraud and money laundering.
French national who created the 'Mutant Ape Planet' NFT collection — a knockoff of Mutant Ape Yacht Club — and rug-pulled buyers after raising ~$2.9M. He pleaded guilty to wire-fraud conspiracy in 2023; in 2024 he was sentenced to time served plus a $15K fine and $1.4M forfeiture.
Co-creator (alias 'heyandre') of the Frosties NFT project, charged by the DOJ in March 2022 in its first NFT 'rug pull' case over the ~$1.1M scheme.
Co-creator (alias 'Frostie') of the Frosties NFT project, which the DOJ charged in March 2022 as its first NFT 'rug pull' case — abandoning the project hours after a ~$1.1M sellout and moving the funds to obfuscate their source.
An early, prolific wallet-drainer-as-a-service crew (active into early 2023) that focused on high-value NFTs and is estimated to have facilitated roughly $13–16.5M in theft before announcing it was 'shutting down' and pointing affiliates to rival drainers.
Reported NFT mint that allegedly took mint funds without delivering art. Awaiting verification.
