Polish cryptocurrency trading platform exposed for Ponzi scheme, former CEO disappears with 4,500 Bitcoin private keys

By: rootdata|2026/05/05 03:46:34
0
Share
copy

According to Politico, Poland's major cryptocurrency exchange Zondacrypto is facing a serious fraud investigation. Its former CEO went missing in 2022, taking with him the private keys to a cold wallet containing 4,500 bitcoins (currently worth over $340 million). The current CEO has admitted to being unable to access the wallet and has recently been reported to have fled to Israel. Prosecutors estimate potential losses for customers to be around $97 million.

On-chain data shows that the btc-42">bitcoin balance in the platform's hot wallet has plummeted by 99.7% since mid-2024, with users generally reporting difficulties in withdrawing funds. Polish Prime Minister Tusk estimates that up to 30,000 users may be affected.

Tusk publicly accused the platform of being funded by Russian-linked money, used to finance opposition lawmakers to obstruct Poland's cryptocurrency regulatory legislation. He bluntly stated that this is a "Polish version of a Ponzi scheme" and criticized the president for vetoing the localization of the EU MiCA framework twice, making Poland a "paradise for scammers."

The platform's board stated that they failed to obtain "verifiable information" from the missing CEO and have collectively resigned. The founder has been missing since 2022, and the previously mentioned "suspect kidnapping allegations" case is still under investigation. This incident is expected to prompt Poland and the EU to strengthen regulatory scrutiny of cryptocurrency exchanges.

You may also like

Morning News | SK Hynix officially launches the marketing promotion process for its U.S. stock listing; the Central Cyberspace Administration announces the results of the first phase of rectifying AI application chaos, with over 14,000 non-compliant pr...

July 6 Market Important Events Overview

How has Binance's stock business performed in the 30 days since its launch?

Emerging market buying supported the first wave of demand.

Blockchain Capital Partner: AI is rewriting the fundamental unit of labor

The rise of AI is rewriting the basic unit of labor from "positions" and "companies" to "tasks." When programmable labor meets programmable currency, a production line without companies, salary systems, or HR becomes possible for the first time.

Can Open USD support Stripe's ambitions?

Stripe collaborates with multiple parties to launch OUSD, not only challenging the dominance of USDC but also exposing its trillion-dollar ambition to transition from a "payment interface" to a "next-generation funds settlement network."

Founder of Baixing.com: I believe half of the statement that large language models devour everything

The internet has been shouting for so many years about devouring everything. Has it really devoured everything now? Is it the internet that devours everything, or is it the large models that devour everything? Both are devouring, and nothing is left?

A "legal" robbery? Attackers emptied the BonkDAO treasury by buying tickets

Handing over the keys to the vault to a public vote where "anyone can spend money to participate," without sufficient oversight mechanisms, even the most legitimate governance ideals may turn into the most convenient tools for attackers.

Popular coins

Latest Crypto News

Read more
iconiconiconiconiconiconicon
Customer Support:@weikecs
Business Cooperation:@weikecs
Quant Trading & MM:bd@weex.com
VIP Program:support@weex.com