Australian Crypto Scam Reports Rose Almost 200% in 2018
Australia saw a surge in reports of scams involving cryptocurrencies last year, according to the country's consumer watchdog.

Australia saw a surge in reports of scams involving cryptocurrencies last year, according to the country's consumer watchdog.
In 674 cases, victims reported to the the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and other government agencies that cryptocurrency had been used to pay scammers in 2018, with reported losses of AU$6.1 million (US$4.3 million), the ACCC said in its tenth annual “Targeting Scams” report on Monday.
The figure is 190 percent higher than the reported AU$2.1 million (US$1.48 million) lost to crypto scams in 2017.
Online scammers generally tricked consumers into buying various cryptocurrencies through fake platforms, but when consumers tried to cash out their investments, scammers "made excuses or were no longer contactable," according to the report.
Some investment scams also asked victims to pay in cryptocurrency for forex trading, commodity trading or other investment opportunities. The ACCC said, in 2018, victims of investment scams reported losing AU$2.6 million (US$1.83 million) in cryptocurrencies.
In some cases, scammers also reportedly asked victims to visit bitcoin ATMs to convert fiat into the cryptocurrency and then transfer it to them.
Of the total 674 cryptocurrency scam reports last year, almost half were made by men between the ages of 25 and 34, the commission said.
In a separate statement, ACCC deputy chair Delia Rickard, said that total combined losses (fiat and cryptocurrency) reported to the ACCC's Scamwatch program and other government agencies were higher than AU$489 million (US$345 million) – that's AU$149 million (US$105 million) more than in 2017.
Rickard added:
“And these record losses are likely just the tip of the iceberg. We know that not everyone who suffers a loss to a scammer reports it to a government agency.”
Australian flags image via Shutterstock
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KuCoin Hits Record Market Share as 2025 Volumes Outpace Crypto Market

KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.
知っておくべきこと:
- KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
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Bitcoin stuck near $88,000 as gold's and silver's record-breaking rallies show exhaustion signs

"Gold and silver casually adding an entire bitcoin market cap in a single day," wrote one crypto analyst.
知っておくべきこと:
- Bitcoin is off its worst levels of the weekend, but still near the year's low at $87,700.
- Facing the same news cycle as crypto, precious metals continued to surge higher, but a quick retreat from their highs on Monday suggested a bit of exhaustion was setting in.
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