HyperFund/HyperVerse Daily 0.5% Return Fake Blockchain Ponzi Scheme—Luring Investors with High Daily Returns

Who Gets Targeted

Victims are mostly young office workers and part-time entrepreneurs lacking professional investment knowledge, who are eager to get rich quickly, hold strong psychological expectations for high daily returns, and have limited understanding of blockchain technology. They are easily attracted by gimmicks such as 'daily 0.5% return,' 'AI quantitative trading,' and 'CEO,' while ignoring basic risk warnings and regulatory alerts. According to Chainalysis estimates, consumer losses caused by HyperVerse in 2022 alone reached USD 1.3 billion, and investors who joined later were unable to withdraw funds after the platform closed withdrawals, losing everything (media estimates have not undergone independent verification).

骗局怎么运作

• The project promoters published polished official websites and white papers on social platforms such as Telegram and Discord, claiming to use self-developed AI quantitative trading algorithms and cross-chain technology to achieve a fixed daily return of 0.5%, while providing fictitious CEO avatars and resumes to manufacture credibility.
• Using tactics such as limited-time bonuses and old-user cashbacks, novice investors were induced to invest a small amount of principal first (e.g., USD 5,000), while the backend falsely displayed a return curve to create the illusion that 'funds are appreciating,' encouraging victims to continue pouring in more investments.
• The project promoters required victims to transfer funds using exclusive wallet addresses or third-party platforms, claiming that maximum returns could only be achieved through designated channels, thereby circumventing exchange regulations and forming a closed-loop transfer chain.
• When victims invited friends and family to join, the system automatically recorded the referral relationship and returned a certain percentage of 'promotion rewards,' forming a multi-level pyramid structure for recruitment and further expanding the fundraising scale.
• After raising a certain scale, the project promoters suddenly shut down the withdrawal function, claiming system upgrades or cyberattacks, and demanded victims top up more funds to 'ensure fund safety,' ultimately disappearing completely after the fund pool was depleted or seized by law enforcement.

红旗信号（看到这些快跑）

• 🚩 Claiming fixed daily returns far exceeding reasonable market returns, with profits unaffected by market fluctuations.
• 🚩 The white paper, team member information, and technical details provided by the project lack verifiable third-party audit reports.
• 🚩 Demanding the use of non-mainstream wallets or exclusive transfer channels while refusing transactions through legitimate exchanges.
• 🚩 Exaggerating technical capabilities (AI quantitative trading, cross-chain) without public code or technical patents, accompanied by highly commercialized promotional materials.
• 🚩 Using urgency marketing tactics, such as limited-time joining and old-user cashbacks, to pressure investors into making rapid decisions.

真实案例

• In January 2024, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) issued a warning stating that the HyperVerse project failed to disclose risks to investors and was suspected of false advertising, with over USD 180 million in funds embezzled (Source: Guardian).
• In November 2024, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed fraud charges against HyperFund founder Sam Lee, accusing him of raising approximately USD 170 million in crypto assets using false information (Source: SEC.gov).
• In March 2024, Bisou.net disclosed that the 'CEO' of the HyperVerse project was a fictitious figure and the actual operating team consisted of anonymous personnel, cumulatively defrauding global investors of approximately USD 1.89 billion (Source: Bisou.net).

Official Stance

• U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), 2024-01-29, published 'SEC Charges Founder of $1.7 Billion “HyperFund” Crypto Pyramid Scheme and Top Promoter with Fraud' (SEC Press Release No. 2024-11) (Source: [https://www.sec.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2024-11](https://www.sec.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2024-11))
• U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Maryland, U.S. Department of Justice, 2024-01-29, published 'Three Individuals Charged In $1.89 Billion Cryptocurrency Fraud Scheme' (Source: [https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/pr/three-individuals-charged-189-billion-cryptocurrency-fraud-scheme](https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/pr/three-individuals-charged-189-billion-cryptocurrency-fraud-scheme))

How to Protect Yourself

• ✅ Before investing in any crypto project, always verify whether it is listed on local regulatory registries or possesses a credible third-party audit report.
• ✅ Remain vigilant against promises of fixed daily returns, especially return rates dozens of times higher than traditional financial products, which should be regarded as high-risk signals.
• ✅ Transfer assets only through legitimate exchanges or regulated financial platforms, avoiding private wallet addresses or unknown channels.
• ✅ Before joining an investment, use search engines to check official regulatory alert notices and media investigative reports to confirm whether the project has been blacklisted.