New statistics from Kaspersky Labs show that phishing schemes exploiting ICOs to target potential investors have generated more than $2.3 million in the second quarter of 2018 alone. According to a recent survey of UK organizations, one in three respondents had been impacted by cryptojacking malware in the past month. In a recently filed lawsuit, fraudsters allegedly impersonated a victim in communications to a multinational telecommunications company to access the victim's crypto wallets and steal $24 million in cryptocurrencies. According to another recent report, a wealthy investor was flown to Macau by a Thai group in a scheme that resulted in the theft of more than 5,500 bitcoins.

On Aug. 11, alleged stablecoin provider Tether issued new Tether tokens worth $50 million after losing roughly $300 million in market capitalization over the past 30 days. Tether has been the source of criticism for its failure to submit to a public audit to prove its claims of Tether being backed by the dollar on a one-to-one basis.

In a speech last week, FinCEN director Kenneth A. Blanco delivered a clear, stern message to crypto exchanges on their AML and CFT obligations, stating that compliance programs must be implemented long before they receive notice of an examination. Mr. Blanco stated that FinCEN's goal is to ensure that all virtual currency money transmitters undergo such compliance examinations regularly. And in an Aug. 14 press release, the SEC announced that it had obtained permanent officer-and-director and penny stock bars against the founder of a company who perpetrated a fraudulent ICO.

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