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Nigeria Arrests 792 in Landmark Crypto-Romance Scam Raid

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Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on December 10 arrested 792 people linked to a massive crypto-romance scam operating out of Lagos.

The suspects, who included 148 Chinese, 40 Filipinos, and several other foreign nationals, were caught during a surprise raid at an imposing seven-story structure known as Big Leaf in the affluent Victoria Island neighborhood.

Sophisticated Scam Network Unveiled

According to information shared by the agency, the operation followed intelligence reports, which indicated that Big Leaf was a hub for fraudulent activities targeting victims around the globe.

Investigations revealed a highly organized network where foreign operatives collaborated with local accomplices to swindle unwitting individuals through romance and investment hoaxes.

The Nigerian recruits, chosen for their proficiency with computers, were reportedly trained for at least two weeks on how to impersonate foreign women and engage victims in romantic and business conversations.

They then created fake profiles on social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram, and Telegram, which they used to lure targets to invest in bogus crypto schemes hosted on a platform called Yooto[.]com. The website required users to pay an activation fee starting from $35, with promises of high returns.

Per investigators, after the Nigerians initiated contact with potential victims and built their confidence, they handed over communication to the foreign operatives who then executed the scams. This division of labor ensured that the local accomplices were kept in the dark about the full extent of the criminal enterprise.

During their inquiries, authorities found at least 500 SIM cards and high-end computers on the premises, which were presumably used to maintain anonymity and target individuals primarily from North America and Europe.

Further, they stated that the Nigerian recruits received cash payments for their part in the con, with no documentation, helping to obscure the identity of the operation’s masterminds, who remain at large.

The agency is working with international partners to uncover the full extent of the scheme and any connections it may have to organized crime networks.

Large-Scale Crypto Fraud Schemes

Crypto scams have been on the rise recently, with a study by the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) revealing that Australians had lost nearly $270 million to fake investments.

Elsewhere, South Korean law enforcement apprehended 215 people accused of perpetrating a $232 million crypto rip-off. Among those arrested was a popular YouTuber with more than 600,000 followers who allegedly ran a phony investment consulting firm pushing a purported digital asset product promising 20-fold returns.

Also, in October, Hong Kong police dismantled a huge cross-border fraud operation that used deepfakes to lure men into deceptive crypto investments.

Like in the Nigerian case, the Hong Kong group, consisting of at least 27 individuals, operated from a building in the city’s Hung Hom area. Upon raiding the facility, authorities recovered computers, mobile phones, and about $25,000 in suspected criminal proceeds.

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Cryptocurrency

ChatGPT Evaluates Ripple Price Predictions: How Viable Is XRP at $100?

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TL;DR

  • The XRP Army, arguably the loudest niche of the cryptocurrency community, frequently posts about the asset’s market potential, but some forecasts can go into the ‘ridiculous’ category.
  • Although many might seem far-fetched, at least for the current market prices, ChatGPT noted that a double-digit price tag is not out of the question.

$29, $55?

Although XRP has been the object of countless massive price predictions, even before its explosive rally at the end of last year, we will focus on a more summarized version from this article, where the first two targets were set at $29 and $55.

The AI chatbot described the more modest one as “ambitious yet conceivable,” since it came from more renowned industry experts, such as Bitwise Research’s Oscar Ramos, who believes the asset can surge to such an impressive price tag if certain conditions are met.

At first, he highlighted the significance of a potential approval of a spot Ripple ETF in the States. Although the US SEC has delayed making a decision on a few listings, the chances for such products to hit the US markets this year are above 75%, according to Polymarket.

XRP’s price can also benefit if the token continues to gain traction in global financial systems and sees “widespread institutional adoption.”

The $55 target was categorized as “highly optimistic” by ChatGPT. It explained that such a price per token would require a market cap above $3 trillion, given the current available supply, which would put XRP above BTC.

“Such a surge would necessitate unprecedented adoption and utility, making this target highly optimistic under current market conditions,” – added the AI tool.

What About $100?

The last price target set by analysts was an entry triple-digit price. ChatGPT kindly dismissed it by putting it in the “speculative and unlikely” category. After all, such a price tag would put XRP’s market cap above those of Apple and Nvidia… combined.

“While some proponents argue that XRP could capture a significant share of global financial transactions, including SWIFT replacements and derivatives settlements, these scenarios are highly theoretical and face numerous regulatory and practical challenges,” – concluded the AI chatbot.

Although the predictions above might sound a bit (or a lot) far-fetched at the moment, this doesn’t mean that XRP lacks any market potential this year. In fact, you can check what ChatGPT thinks about the possibility of a $10 price tag for Ripple’s cross-border token – here.

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Crypto Markets Shed Over $100 Billion After Trump’s Latest Tariff Threats (Weekend Watch)

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Bitcoin’s price actions took a turn for the worse yesterday after US President Trump recommended a 50% general tariff against the European Union.

The altcoins have also bled out on a daily scale, with more than $100 billion leaving the space within this timeframe.

BTC Pushed Below $107K

In general, it was a very good, some would say historic, week for the primary cryptocurrency. It started on a volatile foot as it pumped from $104,000 to $107,000 on a couple of occasions on Sunday and Monday but was stopped in its tracks and driven south hard.

However, the bulls kept the pressure on, and that upper boundary finally gave in on Wednesday. Moreover, bitcoin rocketed past its January all-time high of $109,100 and set a new one at almost $110,000.

It was met with immediate resistance there and a drop to $106,500, but that was short-lived. Bitcoin began another, even more impressive leg up in the following hours and tapped a fresh peak at $112,000 on Pizza Day.

It retraced slightly to $111,000 on Friday but remained at around that level until the POTUS recommended a new set of tariffs against the EU to start from June 1. In minutes, BTC’s price tumbled below $107,500, bounced off, and then slipped again to under $107,000.

It has recovered some ground now and sits above $108,000, but it’s still over 2% down on the day. Its market cap has plunged to $2.150 trillion, while its dominance over the alts stands tall at 61% on CG.

BTCUSD. Source: TradingView
BTCUSD. Source: TradingView

Alts in Red

The altcoins have followed BTC on the way south, with substantial losses of up to 10% from the likes of DOGE, ADA, SUI, SHIB, LINK, and AVAX. Ethereum has slipped by over 5% and is now down to $2,550. XRP has dropped to just over $2.3 after a 4.4% daily decline.

Even more painful price drops are evident from ENA, WIF, TIA, S, IP, and PEPE as all of them have plunged by double digits.

The total crypto market has lost over $100 billion since yesterday and is down to $3.530 trillion on CG.

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.

Cryptocurrency charts by TradingView.

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Ripple’s RLUSD Hits $244.2M Market Cap Across XRPL and Ethereum in Q1 2025

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Ripple’s USD-pegged stablecoin, RLUSD, closed Q1 2025 with a combined market capitalization of $244.2 million across the XRP Ledger (XRPL) and Ethereum.

On XRPL alone, RLUSD reached a market cap of $44.2 million, making it the largest stablecoin on the network, according to the latest report by Messari. Due this growth, the total market cap of fungible tokens, known as Issued Currencies, surged by 6.5% QoQ to $281.5 million.

RLUSD Stablecoin: Q1 2025

Despite this milestone, stablecoin adoption on XRPL remains limited compared to dominant stablecoins like Tether (USDT) and USD Coin (USDC), which ended Q1 with total market caps of $144.0 billion and $60.1 billion, respectively, across all supported networks.

Historically, the introduction of a trusted stablecoin in a new execution environment has triggered major liquidity events, as seen with Cardano’s iUSD in 2023, often serving as a key pairing asset in automated market makers (AMMs).

Until recently, regulatorily compliant tokens like RLUSD, which feature Clawback – a mechanism on XRPL that lets issuers retrieve distributed tokens – were not compatible with the network’s automated market maker (AMM) due to the lack of Clawback support. This changed in January when the AMM Clawback amendment was implemented, allowing such tokens to be traded on the AMM.

The update is expected to boost AMM activity as more compliant assets launch on XRPL. Potential applications include enabling on-chain trading of previously illiquid real-world assets (RWAs), earning yields through AMM participation, and cross-chain price arbitrage.

Adoption Curve

RLUSD launched publicly on December 17, 2024, on both XRPL and Ethereum. It is fully backed by US dollar deposits, short-term US Treasuries, and other cash equivalents, with monthly attestations provided by third-party firms. In January, Ripple announced the integration of Chainlink Price Feeds on Ethereum to provide RLUSD pricing data.

In April, RLUSD was added to Ripple’s cross-border payment platform, Ripple Payments, while Kraken launched trading support. Additional Q1 listings came from LMAX Group, Zero Hash, and Bitstamp, joining Uphold, Bitso, MoonPay, Archax, CoinMENA, Independent Reserve, and Bullish.

Further boosting infrastructure around RLUSD, Korean custody provider BDACS signed a strategic partnership with Ripple in February to offer custody services for XRP, RLUSD, and other digital assets.

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