[Coin Scam Trap ①] 'Unlisted Coins' Proliferate, Targeting Seniors' Pocket Money

[Coin Scam Trap ①] 'Unlisted Coins' Proliferate, Targeting Seniors' Pocket Money

Recruiting investors via SNS or acquaintances... "6 times profit in 1 year" lures victims

'Chinese Headquarters' turns out to be a seafood company... Virtual assets increasingly used as new scam material

"This is your chance to get rich. Participate in a next-generation national infrastructure project that connects global stock markets, blockchain, and digital assets into one."

On the 11th, when the KOSPI approached the 8,000 mark. An investment briefing for 'A Digital Asset Exchange', which promised investment in unlisted coins, was in full swing in a building in Gwanak-gu, Seoul.

The outside of the building was desolate with no sign, but the atmosphere changed after taking the elevator up. Standees promoting the exchange's technological excellence stood on the building stairs, and the office, about 10 pyeong (approx. 33 sq m), was bustling with various equipment and investors who had gathered to listen to the explanation.

As the reporter entered the office alone, Mr. B, who introduced himself as the representative, immediately approached. He handed over a business card, saying, "If you buy C coins with the dollar stablecoin Tether and stake them, you can receive a 576% profit after 360 days. This is an opportunity to make money, so think carefully."

The business card he handed over was densely packed with small, eye-straining text promising high returns, such as "Participation from 100 Tether (worth approximately 150,000 won)", "C token unit price starts at 0.1 dollars (approximately 150 won) and is managed manually", and "Scheduled to be listed on major exchanges."

Soon after, Mr. B began his lecture, asserting that "a new order of finance is beginning" and that the price of C coin would never fall, to which about 20 audience members nodded continuously.

All the audience members, except the reporter, appeared to be seniors aged 60-80, and they seemed to be immersed in the sweet dream of 'getting rich' while looking at the C coin displayed on their phone apps.

Even as the domestic stock market sets new records and the enthusiasm for virtual asset investment has relatively cooled, scams using virtual asset investment as bait are rampant in various parts of Seoul.

The 'A Exchange' that the reporter visited also recruited audiences through social networking services (SNS) or acquaintances, and then held investment briefings four times a day, luring seniors by claiming they could make a lot of money.

They made statements such as "a nationally authorized exchange", "Binance is making equity investments", and "the exchange promised that the coin price would never fall", but upon verification, all were found to be baseless.

'A Exchange' did not have the Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) license required to operate a virtual asset exchange in Korea, and the price of C coin was 0.05 dollars per coin, with a daily trading volume of less than one, making it virtually a 'dead coin'.

This company claimed its headquarters were in Shenzhen, China, and showed company photos, meeting scenes, and videos. However, it was confirmed that the company in the photos was indeed located in China, but it was a seafood aquaculture company completely unrelated to virtual assets.

It appears that this type of 'unlisted coin scam' has been perpetrated for a long time in the same location, simply changing its name.

The building in Gwanak-gu where the investment briefing was held that day was also where similar briefings were held a year ago, recommending investments with the promise of "high returns if you invest in coins."

At that time, if some investors participated in the A Exchange group chat, protest messages like 'It's been a year, why aren't you returning my money?' occasionally appeared in the chatroom, but each time they were 'hidden' by the administrators.

Experts warn that just as virtual assets and blockchain technology are transforming the traditional financial industry, the material for traditional fraudulent methods like multi-level marketing and Ponzi schemes is also shifting to virtual assets in the criminal landscape.

An industry official advised, "Ultimately, a significant portion of virtual asset scams exploit 'impatience' and the 'psychology of expecting high returns'. When you receive an investment proposal from an unclear source, you must verify the facts through official channels."