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Investment and cryptocurrency scams

Investment scams come in many shapes and sizes. And spotting them isn’t always easy.To get more news about crypto exchange scams, you can visit wikifx.com official website.

One of the tactics scammers use is pretending to be a genuine investment firm to trick you into investing. They copy the names of big, well-known companies and use similar email addresses and telephone numbers. They even spoof their websites.

Criminals also set up fake, unregulated firms that look real. You’ll often be invited to invest in assets like property, gold and cryptocurrency. But they may offer other things. And they frequently lure you in with large, too good to be true returns. They also send their victims fake reviews of the firm and pretend that other clients have invested or want in on the deal, urging you to invest quickly.

There are lots of ways scammers might contact you. Cold calling, spam emails, social media messages and phone calls after you search for investment opportunities online or respond to adverts are common. Often, they’ll contact you repeatedly to pressure you into a hasty decision.

Sometimes, they may even pay small returns to start with, to sweeten the deal and trick you into investing more of your money.
Cryptocurrency scams
Cryptocurrency scams are when scammers offer a fake, but convincing opportunity to make a profit by investing in cryptocurrency, a virtual currency. Some scammers will target you after you’ve asked about a cryptocurrency or a cryptoasset investment advertised online.

To access the investment, you may be told you need a crypto wallet. Scammers may offer to set one up for you, but then empty it of your money.  If you have one already, criminals may ask information about your existing crypto wallet in order to gain access to it. Remember, many cryptocurrency investments are not regulated, so you’re unlikely to get your money back if something goes wrong.

Recovery scams
If you’ve ever lost money to an investment, or been victim to an investment scam, criminals may contact you claiming that they can recover your lost money. This is a recovery scam. They may pretend to be a legitimate company and could claim that they can make an arrest.
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Emerging Trends in Blockchain Technology and Applications

At present times, Blockchain technology is gaining more attraction with every passing day, as it has revolutionized the traditional trade due to its distributed ledger feature, every record in this ledger is secured by rules of cryptography which makes it more secure and tamper-free. This naturally led to the emergence of various types of cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin, which builds on a technology commonly known as Blockchain. The rapid evolution of research on Blockchain calls for more research studies for investigating and analyzing the current knowledge in this field through a systematic technical study that shows the impact and significance of the related literature since the inception of the technology in 2013. From this point, in this paper, a state-of-the-art review is conducted on the most influential articles, conference papers, and review papers related to Blockchain published from 2013 to 2020 and indexed by the Web of Science Core CollectionTM (WoS) world’s literature database. To attain the desired objective, after presenting an inevitable, brief overview of Blockchain technology, the collected papers have closely been analyzed along seven key research questions. Subsequently, vital valuable findings, such as the top 10 influential papers, yearly publications and citation trends, the favorite publication venues, the hottest research areas, and the most supportive funding bodies are reported, which may offer several implications about the status quo and emerging trends and frontiers of Blockchain, to guide towards establishing a baseline for both fresh and experienced researchers and practitioners before initiating a future research project on Blockchain. Furthermore, a rigorous discussion is provided on Blockchain application in diversified domains, along with different versatile use cases. Lastly, a brief insight is presented into open challenges and potential future advancements in the field of Blockchain. Summing up, this paper is meant to assist newbies in exploring and designing new Blockchain solutions, bearing in mind existing demands and challenges.To get more news about blockchain field survey, you can visit wikifx.com official website.

Since the digital cryptocurrency, so-called Bitcoin, has been innovated in 2008 (Nakamoto, 2008), a diverse range of researchers and practitioners have paid considerable interest to Blockchain technology. Blockchain technology acts as the ledger used for taking records of all Bitcoin transactions as seen in Bitcoin applications (Fanning and Centers, 2016). The records of transactions are made justly public within the Blockchain framework, putting the aspect of privacy to the test. Everyone within the modern business technology environment would be able to ascertain the details of transactions because the current traditional banking system can maintain this form of privacy through confidential record-keeping.
2. Blockchain overview
In principle, Blockchain can be defined as a digitalized public ledger, in which all digital transactions would be recorded as a data structure “Completed Transaction Blocks” or in chronological order, and this is stored across a network in a distributed manner.
3. Research methodology
First, we present the motives behind this study and the research questions derived from such motives. Second, we describe a number of required consecutive steps that we followed to identify relevant studies. The methodology identifies detailed steps to collect the initial set of articles as well as the inclusion and exclusion criteria to obtain a filtered set of studies.
4. Descriptive analysis
To find satisfactory answers to the RQs presented in Section 3.1, a descriptive analysis was conducted after retrieving and selecting papers.

California unveils new crypto tracker website to combat scams

The California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation launched the Crypto Scam Tracker, a new website designed to help Californians spot and avoid crypto scams.To get more news about crypto exchange scams, you can visit wikifx.com official website.

“Scammers are in the shadows using the public’s interest in crypto assets to take advantage of the most vulnerable Californians,” DFPI Commissioner Clothilde Hewlett said in a statement.

“Through the new Crypto Scam Tracker, combined with rigorous enforcement efforts, the DFPI is committed to shining a light on these ruthless predators and protecting consumers and investors.”Launched on Feb. 16, the tracker is a database searchable by company name, scam type or keywords so Californians can learn more about the complaints the department has received about specific cryptocurrency websites.

The database will be constantly updated to alert the public of new crypto scams, a news release said.When companies or websites (fake or not) have a look- or sound-alike names, the potential confusion created for consumers is real,” the news release said. “Attempting to take advantage of such confusion is a tactic employed by some bad actors looking to profit from unsuspecting consumers.”

For example, the search result for “Coinbase” showed multiple instances where people lost thousands of dollars by investing in fictitious websites that closely resembled the actual coinbase website.

In one instance, one “victim met a person on WeChat who convinced her to invest in cryptocurrency mining. The victim followed the scammer’s instructions to transfer $12,000 to a cryptocurrency exchange and then to the site coinbase.iii36.vip to begin mining,” the website stated.

The “victim tried to withdraw money from her account but was told she needed to wait 24 hours. Soon after, she noticed that all her cryptocurrency had been transferred from her crypto wallet.”

How Blockchain Technology is Changing Real Estate

Given blockchain’s disruption of financial services and subsequent widespread application across industries, it’s hard to find a segment that has not been influenced by the technology. Cryptocurrencies have made a strong impact on payments, remittances, and foreign exchange. Initial coin offerings (ICOs) have challenged stock investing, startup loans, and venture capital. Even the food supply chain industry has been upended by blockchain.To get more news about blockchain field survey, you can visit wikifx.com official website.

Real estate hasn’t escaped blockchain disruption either. Previously, transacting high value assets such as real estate exclusively through digital channels has never been the norm. Real estate transactions are often conducted offline involving face-to-face engagements with various entities. Blockchain, however, opened up ways to change this. The introduction of smart contracts in blockchain platforms now allows assets like real estate to be tokenized and be traded like cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and ether.
1. Platforms and Marketplaces
Real estate technology has traditionally been primarily concerned with listings and with connecting buyers and sellers. However, blockchain introduces new ways to trade real estate and can enable trading platforms and online marketplaces to support real estate transactions more comprehensively. For example, ATLANT has developed a platform that uses blockchain technology to facilitate real estate and rental property transactions. By tokenizing real property, assets can then be traded much like stocks on an exchange and transactions can be done online.

ATLANT allows sellers to tokenize assets, essentially handling it like a stock sale, and liquidating that asset through a token sale using the platform. The collected tokens can be exchanged for fiat currency, with buyers owning a percentage stake of the property.

2. No Intermediaries
Brokers, lawyers, and banks have long been part of the real estate ecosystem. However, blockchain may soon usher in a shift in their roles and participation in real estate transactions, according to a report by Deloitte.
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New platforms can eventually assume functions such as listings, payments, and legal documentation. Cutting out the intermediaries will result in buyers and sellers getting more out of their money as they save on commissions and fees charged by these intermediaries. This also makes the process much quicker as the back-and-forth between these middlemen gets cut.
3. Liquidity
Real estate has long been considered an illiquid asset since it takes time for sales to conclude. This isn’t the case with cryptocurrencies and tokens since they can, in theory, be readily traded for fiat currencies through exchanges. However, as tokens, real estate can be readily traded. A seller doesn’t have to wait for a buyer who can afford the whole property in order to get some value out of their property.
4. Fractional Ownership
By allowing fractional ownership, blockchain also lowers the barriers to real estate investing. Typically, investments would require significant money upfront in order to acquire property. Alternatively, investors with could also pool their money to acquire bigger ticket properties. Through blockchain, investors would simply have to access a trading app to buy and sell even fractions of tokens as they see fit. In addition, fractional ownership would also help them avoid managing the properties themselves such as maintenance and leasing.
5. Decentralization
Blockchain commands trust and security as a decentralized technology. Information stored in the blockchain is accessible to all peers on the network, making data transparent and immutable. One only has to go back to the housing bubble crash in 2008 to see how greed and the lack of transparency in the part of institutions can have catastrophic consequences. A decentralized exchange has trust built into the system. Since information can be verifiable to peers, buyers and sellers can have more confidence in conducting transactions. Fraud attempts would also be lessened. Smart contracts are increasingly becoming admissible records with Vermont and Arizona passing such legislation. As such, smart contracts would have more enforceability beyond the technology itself.

6. Costs
The transparency associated with a decentralized network can also trim down costs associated with real estate transactions. Beyond the savings made by cutting out intermediaries’ professional fees and commissions, there are other costs such as inspections costs, registration fees, loan fees, and taxes associated with real estate. These costs even vary depending on the territory that has jurisdiction. Like intermediaries, these can be reduced or even eliminated from the equation as platforms automate these processes and make them part of the system.

What Is the Next Big Cryptocurrency To Explode in 2023?

Cryptocurrency might have started out as a Wild West of investing dominated by mavericks, but it’s now firmly in the financial mainstream. Institutional investors and big banks treat it as a serious asset despite recent volatility, the collapse of a major exchange and regulatory crackdowns in China and elsewhere.To get more news about crypto token, you can visit wikifx.com official website.

If you need evidence of how volatile, consider this: As of March 4, bitcoin’s value has ranged from a low of $15,599.05 to a high of $45,544.36 over the past year. Despite that volatility, many cryptocurrency investors remain on the lookout for the next big payoff. Keep reading to learn which cryptocurrencies might explode soon.

Which Cryptocurrency Is Set To Explode?
If you’re looking to start buying cryptocurrency, you might be wondering which one will bring the biggest potential return. Although bitcoin might be the obvious choice, it’s not necessarily the best one in 2023. Your chances of having a big payoff might be better with a smaller coin that hasn’t already been pumped up by institutional investors the way bitcoin has.
1. Ethereum (ETH)
Ethereum, commonly known as ether, is the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency behind bitcoin, even outperforming bitcoin at times. In 2021, Ethereum instituted a major upgrade that reduced the supply of ether, currently at 120.46 million coins as of April 5. The upgrade also allowed the Ethereum network to handle more transactions per second, improve the platform’s scalability and lower transaction fees.

Compared to bitcoin, ethereum lacks scarcity — bitcoin’s supply is capped at 21 million coins — and widespread acceptance by companies and governments. However, unlike bitcoin, ethereum isn’t just a store of value. It also powers an infrastructure on which apps can be built. Other cryptocurrencies are issued on Ethereum, and it serves as the foundation of decentralized finance.

Many metaverse projects, including Star Atlas, Axie Infinity and The Sandbox, use the Ethereum blockchain, as do most NFTs. Another upgrade, this one launched in September 2022, transitioned Ethereum to a Web3-ready proof-of-stake mechanism that reduced energy consumption by about 99.95% and further increased security and scalability.

Ethereum experienced a major slump last year, losing 70% of its value between November and June, which is about on par with other major cryptocurrencies. The price is on the rise again, so this might be the right time for investors who’ve been waiting to test the cryptocurrency waters. The coin might also appeal to current investors who bought high and would benefit from dollar-cost averaging.
2. BNB (BNB)
Binance is the largest cryptocurrency exchange in terms of trading volumes. Like bitcoin, BNB coin, formerly called binance coin, keeps a hard limit on the number of tokens in circulation — in its case, 157,887,462 out of a maximum of 159,979,964 tokens are currently in circulation. This helped the token price increase exponentially in 2021.

In addition, Binance puts about one-fifth of its profits each quarter into permanently getting rid of, or “burning,” BNB tokens, which raises the value of the remaining tokens. It burned 2.06 million BNB tokens — over $575 million worth — in January and expects to eventually burn 50% of the maximum supply.

Binance has two blockchains, which reduce the kind of bottlenecks Ethereum is vulnerable to. It’s also fast and scalable, and Binance is in the process of making the platform more regulator-friendly, according to Seeking Alpha — a feature that could be crucial to its longevity and widespread adoption, especially in light of the collapse of rival exchange FTX.
3. Tether (USDT)
Tether is a type of “stablecoin” designed to provide a less volatile alternative to bitcoin because it is linked to another asset. In tether’s case, that asset is the U.S. dollar. In valuation terms, tether usually has a 1-to-1 ratio with the dollar, meaning it is less volatile than cryptos such as bitcoin and ether — “usually” being the operative word.

In May 2022, tether briefly dropped to $0.9455, its lowest price since 2018, before returning to its typical price of above 99 cents. Although analysts disagree over whether the drop constituted a true “de-pegging” from the dollar, the event led to a sell-off as investors — worried that tether would plummet like another stablecoin, terra — raced to move into bitcoin and other coins now selling at what some consider to be steep discounts.

With an $80.02 billion market cap, tether is the largest stablecoin and the third-largest coin overall. It’s also the most traded coin — cryptocurrency investors use it to hold funds or make transactions using funds they want to protect against the price swings to which bitcoin, ether and other non-stable cryptocurrencies are vulnerable. You can also lend it to cryptocurrency platforms in return for double-digit annualized interest rates without worrying too much about volatility erasing your earnings.

best crypto exchanges and apps for April 2023

When deciding on the best crypto trading platform for your needs, think about what you plan on using it for.To get more news about WikiBit, you can visit wikifx.com official website.

It’s quite common to use multiple exchanges to benefit from their different areas of specialty, such as using one for its range of coins and another for staking options. You may also want to consider whether you’re new to crypto markets or you’re a seasoned trader when selecting the platform that’s right for you.
Coinbase won the 2023 Finder Award for Best Crypto Exchange Overall because it offers a world-class service for all levels of crypto traders and investors.

If you are new to crypto, you can use the exchange to make instant purchases in just a few clicks. Seasoned crypto investors can use the platform's advanced trading option for lower trading fees, charting tools and a view of the exchange's order book.

Beyond trading, there are features such as lending, staking, Web3 access, a crypto wallet and an NFT marketplace, making the service well-rounded for most crypto needs.

Coinbase also encourages users to learn more about crypto assets and blockchain networks. In its Learning rewards section, you can watch videos that explain how digital asset networks work and then earn small amounts of the crypto assets you learn about upon correctly responding to questions about them.

Coinbase automatically rewards you with yield on any USDC held in your account. So, if you decide to park your money in stablecoins for a while, you can still increase your digital asset holdings while doing so on Coinbase.
Bitstamp won the 2023 Finder Award for Best Value Exchange because with 24/7 customer support, it provides great value for entry-level traders.

If you trade under $1,000 per month, you won't be charged any maker or taker fees for using the spot market. Fees do increase after this limit, to a moderate 0.3% and 0.4% maker-taker fee which is still competitive for traders in the US.

The exchange offers advanced charting tools, precise order execution, deep liquidity on over 80 crypto assets and top-quality APIs, which advanced traders can use to integrate their algorithmic trading strategy.

Bitstamp covers this service with 24/7 customer support that includes a phone line. This is incredibly rare for cryptocurrency exchanges, adding to its value for money service.
eToro won the 2023 Finder Award for Best Platform for Beginners because its crypto trading services are tailored toward those new to the crypto market. It received positive customer reviews as well.

The platform offers instant purchases, notable educational resources and unique trading features designed to help beginners learn to trade crypto better and benefit from the skills of more experienced traders.

If you're looking to make your first crypto purchases without having to navigate a complex trading interface, eToro makes it easy to buy digital assets in just a few clicks, which is why it also won the 2023 Finder Award for Best Instant Purchases.

The platform's beginner-level trading resource page provides short tutorials that have titles such as What is Bitcoin? and The Fed Made Simple to help prepare you to trade and invest.The mobile app provides a simple pathway to buying and selling while the desktop exchange offers reduced fees and advanced order types for traders.

features up-to-the-moment digital asset price information from CoinMarketCap, a market data website that reports price information for over 20,000 crypto assets.
Kraken won the 2023 Finder Award for Best Advanced Trading because of the array of trading services it offers through Kraken Pro, its advanced crypto trading platform.

Kraken Pro offers crypto trading vets access to margin for leveraged trading, a highly customizable trading interface and low maker and taker fees that range from 0% to 0.26%.

Kraken is one of the few crypto exchanges in the US that offers margin as well as futures contracts to traders. Please keep in mind, though, that these financial instruments are risky to trade, and they aren't designed for less-experienced traders.