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Cryptocurrency

Illegal Bitcoin Mining Operation Exposed After Fire Erupts in Malaysian Home

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Malaysia was rocked by an unexpected discovery on Tuesday when an explosion and billowing smoke from a house along Lorong Cekara Purnama, Bandar Puncak Alam, led authorities to uncover an illegal bitcoin mining operation.

The latest development comes as the Southeast Asian country continues to battle unauthorized crypto mining, which has caused significant financial losses and strains on the country’s power infrastructure.

Electrical Fire Exposes Illegal Operation

Sungai Buloh district police chief, Superintendent Mohd Hafiz Muhammad Nor, revealed that 14 volunteer firefighters from Saujana Utama and Bestari Jaya were dispatched after a local woman reported the incident to the Sungai Buloh district police headquarters at 11:41 a.m. on February 11th.

Upon arrival, both firefighters and patrolling police officers had to forcibly enter the unoccupied house, where they found the fire originating from a room filled with modified electrical circuits. They had been illegally connected to the power grid and had short-circuited which caused the blaze.

After extinguishing the fire on the evening of Tuesday, a joint investigation by the police and Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) personnel revealed the house had been illegally drawing electricity for bitcoin mining. Authorities seized nine Bitcoin mining rigs, nine blower fans, and a D-link router.

The latest case shed light on yet another instance of illicit cryptocurrency operations that have been growing in frequency across Malaysia.

Bitcoin Miners Stealing Electricity in Malaysia

Between 2018 and 2023, Malaysia lost approximately $723 million due to unauthorized electricity use for crypto mining. Deputy Minister Akmal Nasir had then stated that miners exploit unmetered power, but energy providers have detection methods. In an October 2022 crackdown, authorities seized and destroyed over 2,000 uncertified mining devices worth $467K.

Despite these losses, cryptocurrency mining itself is not illegal in Malaysia but electricity theft in the country is a serious offense that carries penalties of up to RM100,000 ($21,000) in fines or five years in prison.

Last August, Malaysian authorities arrested seven individuals – three locals and four foreigners – for allegedly stealing electricity for Bitcoin mining. The Sepang District Police Chief confirmed that none had prior criminal records. Officials seized 52 mining rigs and electronic devices worth around $57,000.

The same month, Malaysian authorities destroyed 985 seized mining rigs worth $452,500 by crushing them with a steamroller. These machines were confiscated during enforcement operations from 2022 to April 2024.

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Cryptocurrency

ChatGPT and DeepSeek Analyze Ripple’s (XRP) Price Potential for 2025

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TL;DR

  • It’s hard to predict any price movements, especially in the cryptocurrency markets, but two of the most popular AI chatbots – ChatGPT and DeepSeek – outlined their respective perspectives for XRP in 2025.
  • After mentioning the factors that could impact the third-largest digital asset, one of them gave a highly bullish prediction that would send its price within double-digit territory.

The Factors

Both AI chatbots were pretty straightforward when it came to the factors that could determine XRP’s price movements this year. They ranked the regulatory landscape in the US first, especially the highly anticipated resolution of the lawsuit between the company behind the token and the SEC.

The battle, going on for over four years now, is yet to see a decisive conclusion even though Ripple has secured a few vital wins. The recent developments on the US SEC vs. crypto companies front, meaning the pause between the agency’s fight against Binance and the upcoming dismissal in the Coinbase case, brought hope to the XRP army about a similar resolution.

“The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has recently withdrawn its lawsuit against Coinbase and is considering approving XRP-focused Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs). This shift suggests a more lenient regulatory environment, which could positively impact XRP’s adoption and price.” – said ChatGPT.

The second important factor listed by DeepSeek and ChatGPT is the global adoption rates. The Chinese AI bot said Ripple’s On-Demand Liquidity (OLD) service, which uses XRP for cross-border payments, is gaining traction as of late, and increased adoption by financial institutions and payment providers could drive higher demand for the native token.

Institutional adoption could also skyrocket if the US greenlights a spot XRP ETF. Numerous companies have already submitted filings with the SEC to launch such a product, and some of them have been officially acknowledged by the agency.

Lastly, DeepSeek outlined the overall market conditions. The crypto market has been shaky in the past month or so, but a bigger resurgance could restart XRP’s rally.

The Price Predictions

Both AI chatbots were careful when outlining precise price predictions, as they warned that such forecasts are highly speculative, especially in the ever-volatile crypto market. However, ChatGPT noted that XRP could go up to somewhere between $5 and $7 in the first half of the year, driven by “favorable regulatory changes and increased institutional interest.”

DeepSeek’s conservative scenario sees XRP remaining at its current range of $2-$3. However, its more bullish forecast predicted that if Ripple wins the legal case against the SEC and the stars align on all other aforementioned factors, it could skyrocket to “$10 or more.”

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Crypto Markets Shed Over $100B as BTC Slumped to $95K (Weekend Watch)

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Bitcoin’s gradual price increase that lasted a few consecutive days came to an abrupt end on Friday after Bybit suffered a major hack, and BTC tumbled by over four grand in hours.

The altcoins were also hit hard, and some of the biggest losers on a daily scale now include LTC, PEPE, AAVE, MNT, ONDO, APT, and TAO.

BTC Stopped at $100K

The primary cryptocurrency faced some enhanced volatility at the start of the business week as the bears drove it south on Monday to $95,300 and on Tuesday to just over $93,000. The latter became BTC’s lowest price position since the February 3 crash when it tumbled beneath $92,000.

However, the bulls managed to intervene at this point and didn’t allow another breakdown. Just the opposite, bitcoin started to recover and went back up to $96,000 almost immediately.

The following few days were quite positive as well, and BTC kept climbing. The culmination came on Friday after Coinbase’s CEO said the lawsuit between his company and the SEC would be dismissed by the regulator, and bitcoin jumped to a multi-week peak of $99,700.

However, its $100,000 challenge failed shortly after as Bybit, one of the largest exchanges by trading volume, was hacked for a whopping $1.4 billion in ETH. The news impacted the entire market and BTC dumped to $95,000 within hours.

It has recovered some ground now and sits above $96,000, but it’s still almost 2% down on a daily scale. Its market cap remains inches above $1.910 trillion, while its dominance over the alts on CG is close to 58%.

BTCUSD. Source: TradingView
BTCUSD. Source: TradingView

Alts Retreat

The altcoins also went south after the Bybit news broke and are still in the red on a 24-hour scale despite some recoveries. ETH was stopped at $2,800 and is down to $2,700 now; XRP has slipped by 3%, while DOGE, ADA, TRX, LINK, XLM, LTC, and SUI have plunged by 4-5%.

The cumulative market capitalization of all crypto assets had climbed to over $3.4 trillion yesterday but dropped by around $130 billion to its low. Now, it sits at $3.3 trillion, which is still around $100 billion less than yesterday’s peak.

Cryptocurrency Market Overview. Source: QuantifyCrypto
Cryptocurrency Market Overview. Source: QuantifyCrypto
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Disclaimer: Information found on CryptoPotato is those of writers quoted. It does not represent the opinions of CryptoPotato on whether to buy, sell, or hold any investments. You are advised to conduct your own research before making any investment decisions. Use provided information at your own risk. See Disclaimer for more information.

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Cryptocurrency

XRP Breakout Imminent? Ripple Price Analysis Suggests a Decisive Move

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Ripple has been trading with minimal momentum, exhibiting quiet price action above the 100-day moving average.

This low-volatility consolidation phase suggests a temporary market equilibrium, likely to persist until a decisive breakout sets the next trend direction.

XRP Analysis

By Shayan

The Daily Chart

XRP’s price action has remained stagnant, with minimal volatility as it consolidates above the 100-day moving average at $2.3. This tight trading range, defined by the $2.3 support and the critical $3 resistance, suggests a state of equilibrium between buyers and sellers.

The RSI indicator reinforces this indecision, hovering around the neutral level, signaling a balance of market forces. However, this consolidation phase is unlikely to persist indefinitely, and a decisive breakout in either direction appears imminent. Given current market dynamics, a bullish breakout seems more probable, potentially paving the way for a new all-time high in the coming weeks.

The 4-Hour Chart

On the lower timeframe, XRP has repeatedly failed to break above the crucial $2.8 resistance, facing rejection and minor pullbacks. This price behavior indicates insufficient bullish momentum to sustain an upward breakout, resulting in prolonged sideways movement.

Despite this, XRP has formed an ascending wedge pattern, with price fluctuations confined between the $2.8 resistance and the $2.4 support zone. A breakout from this formation is essential to establish the next major trend direction, determining whether Ripple can regain bullish momentum or face further consolidation.

 

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Disclaimer: Information found on CryptoPotato is those of writers quoted. It does not represent the opinions of CryptoPotato on whether to buy, sell, or hold any investments. You are advised to conduct your own research before making any investment decisions. Use provided information at your own risk. See Disclaimer for more information.

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