Scam Economy

Ed Zitron joins Scam Economy with Matt Binder to discuss one of the craziest weeks in crypto. FTX goes bankrupt, billions gone, hundreds of millions possibly hacked and/or stolen. Matt and Ed discuss all the details, breaking down the timeline of events, how there have long been questions about the liquidity of FTX and Alameda Research, the media fawning over founder Sam Bankman-Fried, how the entire operation was run by 10 roommates with on-again-off-again personal relationships, and much much much more. Ed's newsletter on FTX: https://ez.substack.com/p/sam-bankrun-fraud Article's mention in the episode: FTX Hacked: https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/11/12/ftx-crypto-wallets-see-mysterious-late-night-outflows-totalling-more-than-380m/ SBF and Roomates: https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/11/10/bankman-frieds-cabal-of-roommates-in-the-bahamas-ran-his-crypto-empire-and-dated-other-employees-have-lots-of-questions/ Reuters texts with SBF: https://www.reuters.com/markets/currencies/exclusive-least-1-billion-client-funds-missing-failed-crypto-firm-ftx-sources-2022-11-12/ CNBC on SBF: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGZrZq6z-Ig Mike Burgersberg's Alameda story: https://dirtybubblemedia.substack.com/p/is-alameda-research-insolvent CoinDesk's Alameda story: https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/11/02/divisions-in-sam-bankman-frieds-crypto-empire-blur-on-his-trading-titan-alamedas-balance-sheet/ Visit ScamEconomy.com Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/mattbinder

Mike Burgersburg of Dirty Bubble Media joins Scam Economy to talk Sam Bankman-Fried aka SBF, founder of the crypto exchange FTX and the crypto hedge fund Alameda Research. Burgersburg explains to host Matt Binder his recent investigations into SBF's interesting ties with Celsius Network, the failed crypto lender, how FTX propped up Celsius and its CEL token, how Celsius paid FTX with users' assets even after it supposedly froze all of their funds, FTX's own stablecoin FTT, SBF's prominence as the guy who shows up to bailout failing crypto companies, and his report into Alameda and how SBF's entire empire may vey well be insolvent. Check out Mike Burgersburg's Dirty Bubble Media newsletter to read his reports featured on this episode: - https://dirtybubblemedia.substack.com/p/celsius-liquidated-user-assets-to - https://dirtybubblemedia.substack.com/p/ftxed-the-tangled-ties-of-celsius - https://dirtybubblemedia.substack.com/p/is-alameda-research-insolvent Coindesk's look into Alameda: https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/11/02/divisions-in-sam-bankman-frieds-crypto-empire-blur-on-his-trading-titan-alamedas-balance-sheet/ Visit ScamEconomy.com Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/mattbinder

Fast Company's Yasmin Gagne & Connie Lin join Scam Economy to discuss their latest piece: a sit-down with Yuga Labs to discuss the history of how the Bored Ape Yacht Club came to be. Yaz and Connie share with Matt how they got this inside look, the early history of BAYC and how it came to be, the peculiar way this NFT project took off, the "doxxing" of its founders Wylie Aronow and Greg Solano aka Gordon Goner and Gargamel and the rest of the core team: Zeshan Ali aka No Sass & Kerem Atalay aka Emperor Tomato Ketchup, their CEO Nicole Muniz, and in the unbelievable role that superstar music manager Guy Oseary has played. The three also discuss the token ApeCoin and why the SEC is investigating Yuga Labs over that, their metaverse project "Otherside," the accusations of racism from artist Ryder Ripp, and much, much more. Read the Fast Company piece - The 800 lb. Gorilla of Crypto: Bored Ape Yacht Club tell all: https://www.fastcompany.com/90796009/bored-ape-yacht-club-tell-all-the-untold-story-of-the-4-billion-crypto-startup Articles mentioned in the episode: Max Read's NFT-to-celeb chart: https://maxread.substack.com/p/mapping-the-celebrity-nft-complex Amy Castor's reporting on Beeple's NFT sale: https://amycastor.com/2021/03/14/metakovan-the-mystery-beeple-art-buyer-and-his-nft-defi-scheme/ Visit ScamEconomy.com Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/mattbinder

Quinn Myers, freelance writer and author of the new book Remember the Internet: Google Glass joins the show to discuss Google's new partnership with Coinbase to accept crypto payments for Google Cloud services, crypto evangelists basking in acceptance from Big Tech and Old Finance, how the tech industry and venture capitalists hype crypto and the media eats it up, how this same song and dance is very reminiscent of Google Glass, how the same cast of characters that promoted this failed product are now all in on crypto, why Google Glass was rejected by the general public and why crypto has been too, wearable tech, the Metaverse and Web3 versions like Decentraland, and what lessons are to be learned here. Check out Quinn's book, Remember the Internet: Google Glass: http://www.instarbooks.com/books/google-glass.html Visit http://www.ScamEconomy.com Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/mattbinder Articles mentioned on the show: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/11/google-selects-coinbase-to-take-cloud-payments-with-cryptocurrencies.html https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidjeans/2022/10/17/andreessen-horowitz-crypto-lobbying-washington/?sh=4bde5a7946e7 https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304549504579316913982034286 https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-lost-15-billion-building-the-metaverse-reality-labs-money-2022-10 https://kotaku.com/metaverse-billion-daily-users-meta-nft-crypto-1849653112

Parker Molloy of The Present Age newsletter joins Scam Economy with Matt Binder to discuss the death of CNN's little known NFT project, the CNN Vault. Parker and Matt take a look at how bizarre it was, the NFT collectors who spent thousands of dollars on a now-dead project, the Associated Press has an NFT marketplace too, and how the mainstream media irresponsibly covers emerging technology like the "Metaverse," crypto, NFTs, and more! Check out Parker's newsletter: https://www.readtpa.com Visit http://www.ScamEconomy.com Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/mattbinder

Bonnie Patten, executive director of Truth In Advertising (TINA), joins Scam Economy with Matt Binder to discuss the scourge of celebrity crypto and NFT endorsements. We discuss Kim Kardashian getting fined $1.26 million by the SEC for pushing a pump-and-dump token by EthereumMax, the celebrities hawking NFTs without disclosing that they were paid for their endorsement, TINA's recent work sending notices to those celebs, what Justin Bieber's team and Reese Witherspoon's team had to say to TINA regarding promoting NFTs, Jimmy Fallon's obsession with NFTs on the Tonight Show, what government agencies are going to step up and do something about it, why the FTC hasn't taken action, the CAA's role, Anthony Anderson's Candyverse NFT project, and why celeb endorsements of crypto and NFTs are so harmful to their fans. Check out Truth In Advertising's work on celebs promoting NFTs: https://truthinadvertising.org/industries/celebrities-promoting-nfts/ Visit http://www.ScamEconomy.com Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/mattbinder

Leo Schwartz, reporter at Fortune, joins Scam Economy with Matt Binder to discuss his report on GiveCrypto, a crypto charity set up by the crypto exchange Coinbase, the broader realm of crypto philanthropy and the ulterior motives behind it, how GiveCrypto took advantage of its "ambassadors" around the world, how little the charity was able to help and why that is, why even some crypto advocates think crypto donations are a bad idea, and much more. Check out Leo's piece in Fortune on GiveCrypto: https://fortune.com/crypto/2022/09/20/coinbases-1b-crypto-philanthropy-disappointment/ Visit: http://www.ScamEconomy.com Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/mattbinder

This month marks the one year anniversary of El Salvador's historic Bitcoin Law, cementing the Central American country the very first country to mark the cryptocurrency as legal tender. So, how's it going? Not good! Salvadoran infosec specialist Domingo Flores joins Scam Economy with Matt Binder to discuss the turmoil the country has faced in recent months, thanks to its Bitcoin-loving President Nayib Bukele. We discuss the protests, the mass arrests, Bukele's suspension of the constitution in order to run for re-election, the alleged "troll center" being run to by the Bukele regime to spread disinformation and harass dissidents, plus...Bukele keeps using El Salvador's money to invest in Bitcoin...or is he? Visit http://www.ScamEconomy.com Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/mattbinder

It's finally here...Ethereum Merge Day. Bennett Tomlin of Crypto Critics Corner and Protos.com joins Scam Economy with Matt Binder to break down exactly what the Ethereum Merge is, why the crypto world is celebrating its arrival, the difference between the old proof-of-work system and the new proof-of-stake system, how miners are taking the change, the fork, what is staking, sharding?!, the environmental impacts, how crypto advocates are missing the big picture, Lido and its role, and why the system is still set up for the rich to just keep get richer. Check out Protos and their Ethereum Merge coverage: https://protos.com/the-evolution-of-ethereum-2-0-your-questions-answered/ https://protos.com/heres-how-insiders-are-getting-rich-off-the-ethereum-merge Listen to Crypto Critics Corner: https://cryptocriticscorner.com Visit http://www.scameconomy.com Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/mattbinder

Journalist Jacob Silverman joins Scam Economy with Matt Binder to discuss one of the biggest mysteries surrounding the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange...who is Guangying Chen? Silverman breaks down Binance's huge role in the crypto space and its founder Changpeng Zhao aka "CZ," the history of the company's opaqueness on many issues surrounding the business, the leaked "Tai Chi" document, the relevance of whether Binance is a "Chinese company," and the mystery surrounding Guangying Chen, a supposed low-level staffer who has long been listed on official documents and company paperwork as Binance's founder. Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/mattbinder Visit http://www.ScamEconomy.com Jacob Silverman's tweet asking Binance about Guanying Chen: https://twitter.com/SilvermanJacob/status/1562603139001266178 Binance's statement on Guangying Chen after Jacob Silverman's tweet: https://www.binance.com/en/blog/from-cz/who-is-guangying-chen-and-is-binance-a-chinese-company-2386330931319516973 Forbes piece on the Tai Chi document: https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeldelcastillo/2020/10/29/leaked-tai-chi-document-reveals-binances-elaborate-scheme-to-evade-bitcoin-regulators/?sh=746e9c662a92 Scam Binance website's blog on Guangying Chen: https://scambinance.com/investigations/131-who-owns-binance-casino-guangying-chen-heina-chen-or-changpeng-zhao.html

Web3 Is Going Just Great creator Molly White returns to Scam Economy to break down crypto winter aka crypto's summer from hell with host Matt Binder. Matt and Molly discuss some of the crypto and Web3 failures, controversies, and scandals from July & August like Tornado Cash winding up sanctions, Michael Saylor being sued by the DC AG for tax fraud, Martin Shkreli's odd pharma Web3 project hack, Binance's claim it doesn't own a troubled Indian crypto exchange after claiming it acquired the company, and much more! Check out Molly's Web3 is Going Just Great: https://web3isgoinggreat.com/ Links to Molly's newsletter, Patreon, & more: https://www.mollywhite.net/linktree Visit http://www.ScamEconomy.com Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/mattbinder

Another BONUS teaser of the Scam Economy Livestream Call-In Post Show! Jon from Australia calls BACK into the Scam Economy Livestream Post Show in early August to talk to host Matt Binder about crypto in the video game space, TikTok creator NFTs, and the Australian based Web3 company, Immutable, which is involved in Gamestop's NFT marketplace.

Coinbase is America's #1 crypto exchange. Coinbase has also had a very, very bad couple of weeks. Ed Zitron joins Matt Binder on Scam Economy to discuss the Coinbase insider trading case, how a former Coinbase product manager was able to slip insider knowledge to his brother and a friend, how the scheme fell apart, just how much insider trading is going on over at Coinbase?, the SEC investigation that found Coinbase was listing unregistered securities, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong's anti-politics at Coinbase stance...until Coinbase of course needs to start lobbying politicians for pro-crypto legislation, what's coming down the pike for Coinbase next?, and much more! Visit: http://www.ScamEconomy.com Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/mattbinder Check out Ed's newsletter: http://ez.substack.com Coinbase Insider Trading Case/SEC investigation: https://mashable.com/article/crypto-insider-trading-case-doj-coinbase Coinbase Insider Trading Study: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-17/coinbase-insider-trading-may-be-wider-than-us-case-study-says Coinbase: No Politics: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2020/10/01/coinbase-wont-allow-discussions-of-politics-and-social-causes-at-work-if-employees-dont-like-it-theyre-free-to-leave/?sh=5b4b208f7459 Coinbase Lobbying: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonbrett/2022/07/28/new-bill-could-allow-americans-to-buy-coffee-with-crypto-tax-exempt/?sh=68bad27a2c60 https://cryptopotato.com/coinbase-establishes-think-tank-for-increasing-lobbying-efforts-with-regulators/

A BONUS teaser of the Scam Economy Livestream Call-In Post Show! Listener of the show, Jon from Australia, called into the Scam Economy Livestream Post Show back in June to talk to host Matt Binder, right after an episode on Celsius and the crypto crash, to discuss a listener who had called into the post show back in February who talked about staking his crypto in Celsius. First, listen to the call between Matt and Jon, then listen to the call from back in February. It's a good reminder that those who were always skeptical about crypto...had good reason to be. Visit: http://ScamEconomy.com Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/mattbinder

Adi Robertson, senior reporter at The Verge, joins Scam Economy with Matt Binder to bring us on the epic journey that is Spice DAO, the decentralized autonomous organization that raised around $12 million in cryptocurrency in order to bid on a rare copy of Alejandro Jodorowsky’s "legendary never-made adaptation" of the classic sci-fi novel, Dune (also known as the Dune Bible). We discuss the $3 million winning bid and how it was well over expected sale price, the infamous confusion over copyright between members of the DAO, all the controversies surrounding votes on animated film production and a certain problematic member of the leadership team, and the most recent news where the creator of this whole project, crypto millionaire Soban "Soby" Saqib has decided to dissolve the DAO and...maybe just sell the book. Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/mattbinder Read Adi's reporting in The Verge on Spice DAO: 1) https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/17/22887948/jodorowsky-dune-bible-spice-dao-derivative-script 2) https://www.theverge.com/2022/2/28/22950868/spice-dao-crypto-jodorowsky-dune-bible-collective-writing-contest 3) https://www.theverge.com/2022/5/27/23141188/dune-crypto-collective-spice-dao-nft-tv-series-charlotte-fang-remilia-controversy 4) https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/27/23280490/spice-dao-jodorowsky-dune-bible-crypto-sale-planned-liquidation Check out the BuzzFeed article mentioned in this episode: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/amansethi/spicedao-dunedao-soby Visit http://www.scameconomy.com

Angel investor Liron Shapira joins Scam Economy host Matt Binder to discuss his viral Twitter thread about the decentralized wireless network Helium, often viewed as the gold standard of Web3 uses cases. We discuss what Helium is and how does it work, how budding entrepreneurs buy expensive hotspots in hopes of earning Helium's cryptocurrency token, who is actually using Helium's wireless network, and much more. Plus: BONUS! As a result of Matt's research into this episode, there is an added commentary about how Helium boasted for years about one of its largest clients being the global scooter rideshare company Lime. Matt discovered...that's not true. Check out Matt' scoop in Mashable on Helium and Lime: https://mashable.com/article/helium-lime-web3-crypto Read Liron's viral Twitter thread on Helium here: https://twitter.com/liron/status/1551738599254773765 The profile of Helium in The Generalist: https://www.readthegeneralist.com/briefing/helium Visit: http://www.ScamEconomy.com Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/mattbinder

Quinn Myers, author of the upcoming book Remember the Internet Vol. 3: Google Glass, joins Scam Economy to discuss his piece for MEL Magazine about the workers who decided to take their paychecks in crypto. Quinn and host Matt Binder discuss the different types of people who took part in this program, how Coinbase made it extremely easy for people to convert their hard-earned pay from this jobs into cryptocurrency automatically, just how much these people have lost since the crypto crash, the professional athletes who promoted the idea of taking a paycheck or getting paid directly in Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin, and other tokens, and more! We also touch on the breaking news about the DOJ charging three individuals in a Coinbase insider trading scheme and briefly discuss venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, who was a major Google Glass proponent and is now all aboard the Web3 train. Read Quinn's piece here: https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/crypto-direct-deposit Check out Scam Economy: http://www.ScamEconomy.com Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/mattbinder

Just like crypto, Elon Musk is all hype. So, they're a match made in heaven. Scam Economy host Matt Binder takes a look at Elon Musk's history of promoting cryptocurrency like Bitcoin and, his favorite, Dogecoin, whether or not he's telling the truth when he claimed he "never told people to invest in cryptocurrency," how Elon's love for crypto helped create the current crypto bot problem...and how Elon's tweets about the crypto bot problem will likely come back to bite him when fighting Twitter's lawsuit against the Tesla CEO for backing out of his agreement to buy out the company. Visit http://ScamEconomy.com Support the Show: http://www.patreon.com/mattbinder

Yet another crypto lender, Voyager Digital, has frozen its customers' funds, pausing withdrawals, and just filed for bankruptcy. But this time, it's even more looney than usual. Ed Zitron joins Matt Binder on the show to discuss how Voyager claimed it was an FDIC insured bank an...SURPRISE! Voyager was not a bank and it was not FDIC insured, how the company gave out huge loans to relatively few entities, the people who lost money, Mark Cuban's Dallas Mavericks having a partnership deal with Voyager and promoting its crypto services, FTX's Sam Bankman-Fried constantly coming into the picture to "save the day" (for the crypto company at least), and much, much more! Read Ed's piece: https://ez.substack.com/p/when-vibes-arent-enough Visit ScamEconomy.com Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/mattbinder

Logically.ai UK editor Ernie Piper and Senior OSINT Analyst Nick Backovic join Matt Binder on Scam Economy to discuss the tech-based anti-misinformation firm's report on the QAnon influencers scamming their followers with crypto pump-and-dump schemes. We discuss the QAnon conspiracy theory and how its conspiratorial right wing beliefs fit perfectly into the cryptocurrency scams, the Stellar network which makes minting of these tokens extremely easy, who are WhipLash347 and PatriotQakes (aka Emily Tang): the influencers involved in promoting these schemes to their followers, the real financial losses as well as the story of one individual who took their life after losing their money and business, and much more. Read the Logically.ai report: https://www.logically.ai/articles/qanon-crypto-lose-followers-2-million Check out ScamEconomy.com Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/mattbinder