Ponzi Scheme Scam Involving the Sale of Overpriced DePIN Computing Servers under the Guise of AI Computing Power Leasing

Who Gets Targeted

The victims are primarily middle-aged investors with a certain level of financial capability, veteran cryptocurrency participants, and tech professionals who yearn for the trend of AI large models. Their psychological vulnerabilities lie in simultaneously believing in the real demand of the AI computing power leasing market and desiring to capture early-stage dividends for extraordinary and stable returns. Fraudsters package projects using the genuine industry backdrop of acute GPU shortages, leading victims to believe they are purchasing cash-flowing, yield-generating assets, only to lose everything when platform tokens crash or the team vanishes, with invested amounts often reaching hundreds of thousands or even millions.

骗局怎么运作

• Step 1: Packaging the AI computing power sharing concept. Organizers claim in various online and offline briefing sessions and communities that they have built a Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network capable of centralizing and leasing idle civilian computing power to prominent large model companies or research institutions. Their pitching scripts typically emphasize earning thousands of dollars per month per GPU alongside assertions that computing power is the new era's oil, forging memoranda of understanding with tech giants or real video footage of server rooms to trick victims into believing the project is backed by real enterprise-grade computing demand.
• Step 2: Selling customized, enterprise-grade computing servers at high prices. Project promoters require participants to purchase their official customized computing servers or node devices, with unit prices ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands. They claim these devices come pre-installed with scheduling systems and are connected to their exclusive decentralized computing network, allowing buyers to simply pay for hosting and passively collect computing power leasing dividends. In reality, the devices are mostly assembled from refurbished second-hand parts or lack physical form entirely, generating only virtual computing records in the backend.
• Step 3: Constructing a dual-track Ponzi scheme model of token subsidies and computing returns. To dispel doubts, so-called computing lease returns are initially paid out on time, but the distribution format is often tokens issued by the project team itself or funded by subsequent investors purchasing equipment. Victims see fake computing utilization data and dividend statements in the system backend every day, while the entire network fails to connect actual computing power to any external leasing market, operating entirely as a Ponzi structure where new funds pay off older investors.
• Step 4: Manipulating token dumping or unilaterally cutting off the network to close down and abscond. After absorbing sufficient equipment fee capital, the operators massively dump tokens on secondary markets, causing token values to instantly plummet to zero and reducing victims' paper gains to worthless paper. Simultaneously, they may suspend dividend payouts under pretexts such as computing network upgrades or compliance rectifications, completely severing contact with victims, and even harvesting one last round of equipment upgrade fees under the guise of replacing them with high-performance new hardware before fleeing.
• Step 5: Destroying evidence and transferring funds overseas to evade law enforcement. Prior to shutting down the website and absconding, fraudsters quickly transfer massive sums of capital overseas using complex methods such as cryptocurrency mixers, underground banks, or cross-border e-commerce fake transactions. At the same time, they erase computing data and transaction records on the official website and system backend, dissolve community chat groups, and leave victims without recourse for rights protection. Police face extreme difficulties in tracing fund flows and real identities, ultimately discovering that the operating entity is merely a shell company.

红旗信号（看到这些快跑）

• 🚩 Promising exorbitant and guaranteed computing returns, publicly advertising extremely high and fixed daily or monthly computing return rates that violate the objective law of decentralized network yields fluctuating with market supply and demand.
• 🚩 Compelling investors to purchase customized mining machines or computing servers from project promoters at prices far exceeding market value or lacking well-known brand endorsements, while prohibiting the connection of general-purpose hardware to the network.
• 🚩 The platform fails to provide genuine proof of computing scheduling, with the system backend displaying only simple numerical returns, refusing to provide real computing orders and external corporate client information, and leaving no verifiable records of actual rental activity in public computing markets.
• 🚩 Computing returns are distributed in the form of the platform's self-issued tokens with no practical value, accompanied by long lock-up periods or complex release rules that restrict investors from cashing out tokens into stable currencies.
• 🚩 The project relies heavily on recruitment-based rebates, offering high promotion commissions alongside computing hardware sales to encourage investors to rope in family and friends to buy mining rigs, exhibiting the classic pyramid-style head-hunting characteristics of network multi-level marketing.

真实案例

• In 2024, a blockchain security institution and media outlet published a research report exposing hardware scams making a comeback in the DePIN space. Exploiting the AI hype, certain project promoters sold so-called computing node devices to investors at inflated prices while promising exorbitant token subsidy yields. As project token prices collapsed, computing returns dropped straight to zero, leading investors to realize that the purported computing network lacked any real demand side and leaving millions in investments lost. (Source: [https://www.chaincatcher.com/article/2181527](https://www.chaincatcher.com/article/2181527))
• In April 2026, the Taiwan Criminal Investigation Bureau cracked down on the Bit Mining Accelerator scam syndicate. Operating under the guise of providing computing acceleration, the gang sold mining accelerators—which were actually just shell electronic components—at 1,000 USD per unit, while running business schools to teach deceptive investment pitches. The ringleader was arrested on the spot by police halfway through a briefing session, leaving victimized investors with useless electronic waste and total losses exceeding one million. (Source: [https://www.cna.com.tw/news/asoc/202604220226.aspx](https://www.cna.com.tw/news/asoc/202604220226.aspx))
• A platform operating under the banner of decentralized storage and computing networks illegally raised funds from the public under the pretext of selling high-configuration computing servers. After investors purchased and hosted the servers, high daily token yields were distributed during the initial phases. The entire system backend forged online status and rental records over a long period. The platform suddenly suspended payouts under the pretext of technical upgrades and executives lost contact. It was subsequently discovered to be involved in illegally absorbing public deposits, closing down and absconding after accumulating hundreds of millions in funds. (Source: [https://www.chaincatcher.com/article/2181527](https://www.chaincatcher.com/article/2181527))

Official Stance

• On April 22, 2026, the Taiwan Criminal Investigation Bureau issued a press release reporting the crackdown on the Bit Mining Accelerator scam syndicate, reminding the public not to easily trust investment schemes claiming that purchasing specific hardware guarantees effortless high returns, as most of these are Ponzi schemes.
• In 2024, a blockchain security institution and industry media outlets jointly issued a research warning against hardware-based Ponzi schemes under the DePIN concept, pointing out that they rely entirely on token issuance inflation to sustain fake yields, carrying extremely high risks of bubble bursts.
• In recent years, anti-fraud centers and public security organs across various regions have issued risk warnings cautioning against projects operating under names such as DePIN and AI computing sharing that require investments in designated mining machines while promising guaranteed principal and interest, noting their involvement in illegal fundraising and pyramid schemes.

How to Protect Yourself

• ✅ Verify underlying real demand: Before investing, thoroughly verify whether the project has genuine scheduling and leasing records in public decentralized computing markets, rather than relying solely on forged online revenue data displayed in a proprietary closed-system backend.
• ✅ Scrutinize hardware pricing and autonomy: Stay away from platforms that mandate the purchase of customized mining rigs far exceeding market prices or lacking independent inspection capabilities. Legitimate decentralized computing networks should support the connection of general-specification personal hardware without monopolistic hardware bundling sales.
• ✅ Avoid single-token settlement and lock-ups: If returns can only be distributed in the platform's self-issued virtual currency accompanied by long lock-up periods or high withdrawal thresholds, it is highly likely a Ponzi game; cut losses immediately and refuse to invest large sums.
• ✅ Beware of recruitment models and preserve evidence: If a project is found to be overly reliant on recruitment rebates, heighten vigilance immediately. Preserve relevant promotional materials, transfer records, and server hosting contracts prior to investing to provide robust evidence when filing reports with public security organs.