Source: Cointelegraph Original: "{title}"
With the launch of spot Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) exchange-traded funds in the U.S., and the industry gaining support from previously skeptical politicians, 2024 is likely to be remembered as the "year of maturity" for cryptocurrency.
Here are the craziest crypto stories of 2024.
In May of this year, the FBI created a fake token related to artificial intelligence to catch fraudsters engaged in market manipulation.
This "trap token," named NexFundAI (NEXF), was designed as bait targeting individuals involved in cryptocurrency fraud, particularly pump-and-dump schemes.
The FBI posed as scammers, telling traders it wanted help manipulating the token's trading volume to mislead investors into thinking NEXF was more popular than it actually was.
At least 18 people have been charged as a result of the FBI's sting operation.
Charlyn Ho, an executive partner at Rikka Law, told Cointelegraph that the FBI may have infringed copyright because the source code it used was not authorized.
However, if a lawsuit is filed against the FBI in court, it may be fine because the MIT license it used "broadly aims to give people extensive rights to use the software."
Crazy stunts are best left to professionals, and for good reason.
During a live stream on May 22, TruthOrDare (DARE) memecoin developer Mikol had his friends douse him in isopropyl alcohol and then launched fireworks at him to draw attention to his memecoin.
The end result was third-degree burns to his face and body, a hospital stay of several days, and a hefty medical bill.
The live stream quickly descended into chaos as Mikol was hit by fireworks and ignited amidst his screams of pain. Another person then told the cameraman, "Stop recording, start helping."
Dev self-immolated, and his coin only had a market cap of $160,000? He is now in the hospital, the most real person in the Telegram center blockchain ❤️$DAREHMGTHjie38diyPjEUWC5fgf8xsYfgFoRJfDCs37iDxtP pic.twitter.com/7jqRhOJAJN
However, DEX Screener data shows that this stunt did attract some memecoin traders' attention, and a few hours later, DARE's market cap surpassed $370,000. About two weeks later, DARE's market cap reached a high of $450,000 but then fell below $50,000.
An apparent GoFundMe campaign raised over $3,000 to help Mikol pay his medical bills.
Mikol stated that he no longer performs "Truth or Dare" stunts for the memecoin's influence but focuses on improving himself and his relationship with God.
"I just want to get out of the mess like you. I just want to be happy and successful," Mikol posted on X on October 4.
The Solana-based memecoin Gen Z Quant (QUANT) skyrocketed to a $70 million cap shortly after its 13-year-old creator seemingly carpet-pumped the token on Pump.fun's live feature.
On November 20, when the QUANT token plummeted, the elementary school student sold all 51 million of his QUANT tokens for about $30,000 during a live stream while celebrating.
However, other traders had the last laugh, reviving the token and making huge profits from a nearly 77,000% price pump, while the 13-year-old only gained relatively modest wealth.
For $30,000, this kid live-streamed the process of creating and carpet-pulling $QUANT. 😂😳 pic.twitter.com/xdptttHeJz
One trader's QUANT investment yielded a 2,141x return, worth nearly $1 million.
DEXScreener data shows that QUANT soared to a high of $0.08 on November 21, with a market cap exceeding $70 million, but later fell below $1 million as the novelty wore off.
But that wasn't the end of it.
Reports indicate that the kid later created another token called "Sorry" and again sold these tokens, earning over $20,000.
Tron founder Justin Sun purchased an artwork at an auction in New York for $6.2 million, which consisted of a banana taped to the wall, and he ate it in November.
On November 21, Sun wrote on X, "I bought this banana. It's not just a piece of art; it represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the art, memorabilia, and cryptocurrency communities."
Source: Justin Sun
On November 29, Sun peeled the banana in front of an audience and took the first bite, discovering it had a rather unique taste:
Many friends asked me what the banana tasted like. Honestly, for a banana with such a backstory, the taste is naturally different from an ordinary banana. I can discern a hint of the 100-year-old Big Mac banana flavor. 🍌 pic.twitter.com/Sz6zaePGpv
The Hellcat crime group showcased its humorous side in November when it hacked into Schneider Electric and demanded a ransom of $125,000 to be paid in either $125,000 worth of Monero (XMR) coins or $125,000 worth of delicious French baguettes.
According to a screenshot taken by Cyberscoop from Hellcat's Tor-based website, Hellcat stated, "To ensure the deletion of this data and prevent its public release, we need to be paid $125,000 worth of French baguettes."
"If this demand is not met, the leaked information will be disseminated."
The statement published by the Hellcat group on its "onion" site has since been taken down. Source: Cyberscoop
However, Hellcat later apparently requested payment in privacy-focused Monero coins, and Picus Security researcher Hüseyin Can Yuceel said Hellcat likely did want to be paid in this currency.
Related content: From Dentacoin to Cthulu, 9 of the most bizarre cryptocurrency projects
Can Yuceel stated in a November 6 Forbes article, "Ransomware is a business model, and we can view this bizarre baguette demand as a marketing gimmick."
Can Yuceel added, "[Hellcat] is trying to gain attention and build trust for future victims and potential ransom software-as-a-service business."
Schneider Electric did not respond to Cointelegraph's inquiry about whether it paid the ransom.
A cryptocurrency user paid up to $90,000 in fees for a $2,000 Ethereum (ETH) transfer, while many cryptocurrency practitioners took their disputes from X to the boxing ring. Among the most notable was Ben "BitBoy" Armstrong, who defeated the creator of "More Light"—HarryPotterObamaSonic10Inu memecoin—in February. He then faced another cryptocurrency influencer, Ansem, in a match in Dubai on December 6, which ended in a draw.
Infinex founder Kain Warwick and Bankless co-owner David Hoffmann also faced off, with Hoffmann winning by unanimous decision.
Magazine: 110 million Doodles coffee cups appear at McDonald's across the U.S.: NFT collectors
免责声明：本文章仅代表作者个人观点，不代表本平台的立场和观点。本文章仅供信息分享，不构成对任何人的任何投资建议。用户与作者之间的任何争议，与本平台无关。如网页中刊载的文章或图片涉及侵权，请提供相关的权利证明和身份证明发送邮件到support@aicoin.com，本平台相关工作人员将会进行核查。
