A huge amount of information on plastic, with great visualisations This post draws on data and research discussed in our entry on Plastic Pollution. Source: FAQs on Plastics – Our World in Data

The FBI has arrested the alleged three leaders of an international crime syndicate that stole huge numbers of credit card numbers – which were subsequently sold on and used to rack up tens of millions of dollars in spending sprees. Speaking in Seattle, USA, where the Feds’ cybersecurity taskforce is based, agents said the “Fin7” Read more about The End for Fin7: Feds cuff suspected super-crooks after $$$m stolen from 15m+ credit cards[…]

All over the western world banks are shutting down cash machines and branches. They are trying to push you into using their digital payments and digital banking infrastructure. Just like Google wants everyone to access and navigate the broader internet via its privately controlled search portal, so financial institutions want everyone to access and navigate Read more about The cashless society is a con – and big finance is behind it[…]

Two former investment bankers, one of whom is also a priest, have been found guilty of an elaborate scam – hacking newswires to read press releases prior to publication, and trade millions using this insider information. Vitaly Korchevsky, formerly a veep at Morgan Stanley and a pastor at the Slavic Evangelical Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Read more about A curious tale of the priest, the broker, the hacked newswires, and $100m of insider trades[…]

Hackers stole more than $30 million worth of cryptocurrencies from South Korea’s top bitcoin exchange, sending the unit’s price falling around the world on Wednesday. The virtual currency was priced at $6,442 dollars late afternoon in Seoul, down about 4.4 percent from 24 hours earlier, after the latest attack on Bithumb raised concerns over cryptocurrency Read more about Hackers steal $30m from top Seoul bithumb exchange[…]

As CCN reported, the little-known Coinrail became the latest cryptocurrency exchange to fall prey to hackers, who are said to have made off with approximately $40 million worth of tokens, a fairly pedestrian figure relative to some of the hacks seen over the years. Later that day, the bitcoin price began to careen downwards, taking Read more about Bitcoin Price: ‘Bloody Sunday’ Not Caused by Coinrail Hack[…]

On Mar 30, researchers at Kromtech Security identified a database open to the public containing full names, addresses, email addresses, encrypted passwords, wallet information, along with links to scanned passports, driver’s licenses, and other IDs for over 25,000 investors of the newly created Bezop. The information was found within a MongoDB database without any security. Read more about McAfee’s Cryptocurrency Leaks Personal Information for Thousands of Investors[…]

Indian Bitcoin exchange Coinsecure has mislaid 438.318 BTC belonging to its customers. In a statement by parent firm Secure Bitcoin Traders Pvt, posted late on Thursday, the biz said its chief security officer had extracted a bunch of Bitcoin to distribute to punters – and discovered the funds were “lost in the process.” The vanished Read more about Tried checking under the sofa? Indian BTC exchange Coinsecure finds itself $3.5m lighter[…]

Most consumers already say they manage without cash altogether, while shops and cafes increasingly refuse to accept notes and coins because of the costs and risk involved. Until recently, however, it has been hard for critics to find a hearing. “The Swedish government is a rather nice one, we have been lucky enough to have Read more about ‘Being cash-free puts us at risk of attack’: Swedes turn against cashlessness[…]

That’s when it hit him. Right there, in the numbers on the page, he noticed a flaw—a strange and surprising pattern, like the cereal-box code, written into the fundamental machinery of the game. A loophole that would eventually make Jerry and Marge millionaires, spark an investigation by a Boston Globe Spotlight reporter, unleash a statewide Read more about The Lottery Hackers[…]

“Platforms like Monero are designed to be truly anonymous, and tumbler services like CoinJoin can [further] obscure transaction origins,” said Dr Mike McGuire, senior lecturer in criminology at Surrey University and author of the study. Many cybercriminals are using virtual currency to convert the illegal proceeds of crime into hard cash and assets. Digital payment Read more about Crooks opt for Monero, paypal, ebay and gamesfor laundering[…]

Zaif, A cryptocurrency exchange in Japan reportedly experienced a temporary glitch last week that suddenly offered investors their pick of coins for the low, low price of zero dollars. Several customers took advantage of the opportunity, but one really ran with it. According to Reuters, it was possible to buy cryptocurrencies for free on the Read more about Glitch on Bitcoin Exchange Drops Prices to Zero Dollars, User Tries to Make Off With Trillions[…]

A former Tesla employee claims the company knowingly sold defective cars, often referred to as “lemons,” and that he was demoted and eventually fired after reporting the practice to his superiors. He made these allegations in a lawsuit filed in late January in New Jersey Superior Court under the Conscientious Employee Protection Act (CEPA).The former Read more about Tesla accused of knowingly selling defective vehicles in new lawsuit[…]

Digital currency exchange Coinbase said it inadvertently charged punters for transactions they never made, effectively draining money from their bank accounts. It has promised to refund the money taken. For the last few days, netizens have been complaining that funds had vanished from bank accounts linked to Coinbase without reason. Some people report multiple charges Read more about Coinbase empies bank accounts without consent[…]

At least 60 people fall for Koinz Trading, that claimed to buy and run a BTC miner for you for the price of EUR 6100 + EUR 23 per month. Payments stopped in September. Rumor has it that the founder Barry van Mourik was selling the computers to pay for his debts. Zeker zestig gedupeerden Read more about Koinz Trading Bitcoin mining pyramid game enters receivership[…]