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Two charged in Australia over $5 million crypto fraud

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Two charged in Australia over $5 million crypto fraud

Australian authorities have charged two men following an investigation into an alleged $5 million cryptocurrency investment scam that targeted vulnerable victims across the country.

Summary

  • The New South Wales Police Force has charged two men following an investigation into an alleged $5 million cryptocurrency investment scam targeting Australians.
  • Police allege victims — including elderly and vulnerable individuals — were lured via social media into depositing funds into a fake trading platform, with money funneled through multiple crypto wallets.
  • One man has been charged and granted conditional bail, while investigations continue as authorities warn Australians about rising investment scam losses.

Australia steps up crypto fraud crackdown

The New South Wales Police Force said detectives from its Cybercrime Squad launched Strike Force Resaca to investigate reports of fraudulent online investment activity. Search warrants were executed at properties in Strathfield and Cammeray, as well as a business premises in Burwood, all located in Sydney.

Police allege the scheme lured victims, many described as elderly or financially vulnerable, through social media advertisements and unsolicited messages promoting cryptocurrency and other high-return investment opportunities.

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Victims were reportedly directed to deposit funds into what they believed was a legitimate trading platform known as “NEXOpayment.” Australian authorities claim the money was instead funnelled through multiple cryptocurrency wallets and exchanges in an attempt to disguise the movement of funds.

A 42-year-old man was arrested at a Strathfield residence and taken to Auburn Police Station, where he was charged with recklessly dealing with proceeds of crime valued above $5,000. He was granted conditional bail and is scheduled to appear at Burwood Local Court on March 17, 2026.

A 36-year-old man was also arrested at a Cammeray property and later released pending further inquiries.

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Police say investigations remain ongoing and are urging anyone who suspects they may have been targeted by an investment scam to report the matter to authorities. Officials reiterated that investment scams remain one of the highest-loss cybercrime categories in Australia.

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Crypto World

Bitcoin risks 2018-style crash if 200-week EMA breaks, warns analyst

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Bitcoin investors face ‘harvest now, decrypt later’ quantum threat

Bitcoin trades near 200-week EMA; loss of support could spark 30–60% capitulation.

Summary

  • Bitcoin trades around $68.4k, above the ~$68.3k 200-week EMA that marks the key cycle support line.
  • In 2018 and 2022, a weekly close below the 200-week EMA followed by a failed retest turned it into resistance and led to sharp selloffs.
  • Analyst Rekt Capital says multiple weekly closes above the EMA keep downside “unconfirmed,” but a breakdown from this level could again trigger accelerated capitulation.

A cryptocurrency analyst has warned that Bitcoin (BTC) could experience a significant price decline similar to events in 2018 and 2022 if the digital asset fails to maintain a critical technical support level.

The analyst, known by the pseudonym Rekt Capital, told 563,100 followers on social media platform X that Bitcoin faces potential downside risk if it loses support at the 200-week exponential moving average (EMA), according to statements posted on the platform.

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Historical data shows that a weekly close below the 200-week EMA, followed by a post-breakdown retest of the EMA into new resistance, has triggered bearish acceleration in previous market cycles, the analyst stated.

“The 200-week EMA represents the key level,” Rekt Capital wrote, adding that a weekly close below it followed by a bearish retest would likely position Bitcoin for additional downside over time.

The analyst noted that Bitcoin has posted weekly closes above the 200-week EMA for two consecutive weeks, which has prevented bearish confirmation in the near term. However, the analyst cautioned that Bitcoin remains vulnerable without sustained upward momentum.

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According to the analysis, historical patterns suggest Bitcoin may struggle to generate significant upward price movement from the 200-week EMA level before an eventual breakdown occurs.

The analyst stated that a convincing breakout above the 200-week EMA resistance level would be necessary to invalidate the likelihood of a price collapse.

Bitcoin experienced major capitulation events in both 2018 and 2022, when the cryptocurrency lost significant value following extended bear markets.

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Step Finance Shuts Down After $27 Million Hack

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Step Finance Shuts Down After $27 Million Hack

Three Solana-based platforms have announced they are shutting down after a Step Finance hack at the end of January that has been deemed unrecoverable. 

Solana portfolio dashboard and DeFi aggregator Step Finance announced on Monday that it would be winding down operations. The closure also extends to subsidiaries Solana NFT analytics and the ecosystem media outlet SolanaFloor, as well as lending and yield protocol Remora Markets.

“Following the hack at the end of January, we explored every possible path forward, including financing and acquisition opportunities,” it stated, referring to a $27 million security breach of its treasury wallets in January. 

The team said they were “unable to secure a viable outcome,” resulting in the decision to “end all operations effective immediately.” 

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The DeFi platform said it is working on a buyback for holders of its native token, STEP, based on a snapshot taken before the incident. There will also be a redemption process for Remora rToken holders, they said. 

Source: Remora Markets

Step suffers $27 million security breach 

Step Finance reported a “breach of security for some of our treasury wallets” on Jan. 31 and asked cybersecurity firms to assist with the investigation. 

Blockchain security firm CertiK reported that 261,854 Solana (SOL), worth roughly $27 million at the time, was unstaked and transferred during the incident.

Related: Solana treasuries sitting on over $1.5B in paper SOL losses

Crypto investor Mike Dudas said he was contacted by Step Finance about participating in a bridge round, but requested a security post-mortem first and received no response. 

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Step Finance co-founder George Harrap said on Tuesday that “Some people have reached out on acquiring various businesses, and we will pursue those if serious and have interest, but we are on a time crunch.”

The platform’s native STEP token tanked 96% in the days following the hack. It slumped a further 36% following the announcement of the closure on Monday and is currently trading at $0.00057, according to CoinGecko. 

STEP hit an all-time high of $10.20 in August 2021.

STEP prices have crashed to virtually zero. Source: CoinGecko

Solana DeFi total value locked tanks 50% 

The triple closure is another blow to decentralized finance on Solana, which has seen total on-chain value tank 52% since its September peak. Solana DeFi TVL currently stands at just $6.3 billion, according to DeFiLlama. 

Meanwhile, SOL prices have lost a further 1.8% on the day, falling to $78, according to CoinGecko. The asset is now 74% down from its January 2025 all-time high of $293, hit during the peak of memecoin mania. 

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