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International police launch Operation Atlantic to combat crypto approval phishing scams

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International police launch Operation Atlantic to combat crypto approval phishing scams

Law enforcement agencies from the U.S., U.K. and Canada started a joint initiative called Operation Atlantic aimed at disrupting cryptocurrency fraud schemes known as approval-phishing attacks, the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) said Monday.

The scams work by prompting victims to approve malicious wallet permissions through fake alerts or pop-ups that appear to come from trusted apps or services, the OSC said. Once access is granted, criminals gain control of the wallet and can transfer funds. Because blockchain transactions cannot be reversed, recovery becomes difficult once assets leave a victim’s account.

Cryptocurrency scams generated at least $14 billion in onchain revenue in 2025, according to Chainalysis, with totals expected to climb toward $17 billion as more illicit wallets are identified. Much of the activity now relies on social engineering tactics, complex AI-generated content and phishing-as-a-service platforms to trick victims into granting wallet access or transferring funds.

“Approval phishing and investment scams cost victims millions in financial loss each year,” said Brent Daniels, deputy assistant director for the U.S. Secret Service’s Office of Field Operations, which is involved in the project.

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The operation builds on Project Atlas, a 2024 initiative led by the Ontario Provincial Police’s Cyber-Enabled Fraud Team to combat global crypto investment fraud. The project identified over 2,000 compromised wallets across 14 countries, disrupted roughly $70 million in potential fraud, and froze about $24 million in stolen crypto. Similar international efforts, such as Chainalysis’ Operation Spincaster, generated more than 7,000 investigative leads tied to roughly $162 million in losses, highlighting the scale of approval phishing schemes targeting crypto investors.

Authorities said the new operation will help warn potential victims and guide them on securing compromised wallets while attempting to trace and recover stolen funds.

“During Operation Atlantic, the Secret Service, alongside our international law enforcement partners, will identify and disrupt these scams in near real-time denying criminals the ability to further profit from their crimes,” Daniels said.

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Crypto World

Ethereum (ETH) price jumps 8.8%, leading index higher

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9am CoinDesk 20 Update for 2026-03-16: vertical

CoinDesk Indices presents its daily market update, highlighting the performance of leaders and laggards in the CoinDesk 20 Index.

The CoinDesk 20 is currently trading at 2140.46, up 5.1% (+104.17) since 4 p.m. ET on Friday.

All 20 assets are trading higher.

9am CoinDesk 20 Update for 2026-03-16: vertical

Leaders: ETH (+8.8%) and DOT (+8.5%).

Laggards: UNI (+0.9%) and BCH (+2.5%).

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The CoinDesk 20 is a broad-based index traded on multiple platforms in several regions globally.

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3 Signs That $2,800 Is the Next Logical Target for Ethereum Bulls

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3 Signs That $2,800 Is the Next Logical Target for Ethereum Bulls

Ether (ETH) bulls are eyeing a move back toward $2,800 in March, with at least three indicators showing ETH price potential to rise higher.

Key takeaways:

  • Ether’s price jumped by over 9% toward $2,280 on Monday.

  • Multiple indicators, including a symmetrical triangle, hint at an extended price rally toward $2,800.

Ether invalidates a bearish chart pattern

On Sunday, Ether’s price action invalidated what initially appeared to be a bear pennant on the daily chart.

Related: Ethereum Foundation sells $10.2M worth of ETH to BitMine in OTC deal

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The ETH/USD pair pierced through the pennant’s upper trend line at $2,100, jumping 9.8% to a six-week high of $2,287 on Monday. Its breakout came alongside a rise in trading volume, implying stronger conviction behind the rally.

ETH/USD daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

The price also reclaimed two key support lines in the name of the 20-day exponential moving average (EMA, red line) and the 50-day EMA (yellow line) at $2,072 and $2,210, respectively.

That simultaneously increased the odds of a symmetrical-triangle bullish reversal.

A symmetrical triangle forms when price makes lower highs and higher lows, compressing into a tightening range. It resolves when the price breaks either of the trendlines and moves by as much as the pattern’s maximum height.

ETH/USD daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

In Ether’s case, the measured move above the upper trend line points to about $2,850, 26% above the current price. The level aligns with the 200-day EMA (the purple line), as shown in the chart above.

Ether’s next hurdle is the 100-day EMA (blue) near $2,500. 

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As Cointelegraph reported, a rejection there would weaken the breakout and raise the odds of a pullback.

Onchain data caps Ether’s upside at $2,800

ETH has been oscillating within a wide range defined by the realized price at $2,350 on the upside and on the downside at the lowest MVRV band of $1,650.

The chart below shows that the recent rebound off the lowest MVRV band mirrors the market structure observed in Q2 2022, where the price rallied past the realized price before being rejected by the first MVRV band just above. 

ETH: MVRV Extreme Deviation Pricing Bands. Source: Glassnode

This similarity reinforces the outlook that the current recovery attempt could be stopped around $2,650, where the first MVRV band sits above the realized price.

Glassnode’s Entity-Adjusted UTXO Realized Price Distribution (URPD), showing at which prices the current set of ETH UTXOs were created, also revealed a dense supply zone at $2,770-$2,880 that has been gradually maturing into the long-term holder cohort. This is where investors acquired more than 7.9 million ETH.

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This unresolved supply overhang remains a persistent source of sell pressure, likely to cap attempts around the $2,800 level. 

ETH: Entity-Adjusted URPD. Source: Glassnode

Meanwhile, ETH’s cost-basis distribution heatmap shows a heavy accumulation near $2,800, where more than 3 million ETH were previously purchased, suggesting a potential pathway toward this level in the short term.

Polymarket’s odds of $2,800 ETH price in March rise

Polymarket, a crypto-based prediction market where users trade contracts on real-world outcomes, is showing a clear bullish shift for Ether in March.

Traders now assign 13% odds that ETH reaches $2,800 in March, a 10% increase over the last 24 hours. The $2,600 and $2,400 targets carry even stronger convictions at 32% and 69%, respectively.

ETH price targets for March. Source: Polymarket

At the same time, the odds of the ETH price reaching $1,800 and $1,600 in March are priced lower than before, suggesting the crowd is trimming downside expectations.