Sequans Communications has expanded its Bitcoin holdings by acquiring 755 BTC for about $88.5 million, at an average price of $117,296 per coin. This purchase raises the company’s total Bitcoin reserves to 3,072 BTC, now valued at over $358 million. The Paris-based semiconductor company continues to strengthen its position as a leading European corporate Bitcoin holder, using recent equity proceeds to fund its growing treasury strategy.
Kraken has launched perpetual futures contracts for Pi Network’s native token, PI, allowing traders to take long or short positions with up to 20x leverage.
The move gives traders a new way to speculate on PI’s price without holding the asset itself. It also marks PI’s debut on a major derivatives platform, despite the token still lacking listings on top spot exchanges like Binance or Coinbase.
How PI Perpetual Futures on Kraken Will Work
Perpetual futures are derivative contracts with no expiration date. Traders can open positions that track the price of PI and settle profits or losses based on price movements over time.
On Kraken Pro, users can access these contracts with over 40 collateral options and across more than 360 markets.
This flexibility allows both hedging and speculative strategies. Traders bullish on Pi Network can go long, while skeptics can short the token—betting that its price will fall.
$PI@PiCoreTeam perpetual futures now live with up to 20x leverage
The listing introduces more liquidity into the PI market. Greater trading activity could reduce volatility in the long term. However, in the short term, leverage may amplify price swings.
Market sentiment around PI is already fragile. Concerns over centralization—60% of the token supply remains under core team control.
PI Network Price Chart In May 2025. Source: TradingView
With futures now in play, bearish traders may open leveraged shorts, potentially accelerating PI’s downward momentum.
Meanwhile, increased volatility could trigger liquidations on both sides, causing sudden price spikes or crashes.
While the futures listing opens new opportunities, it also raises the stakes. Traders should monitor funding rates and open interest to gauge the strength of directional bets.
Overall, Kraken’s move brings new visibility to Pi Network. But for now, there is a lot of skepticism regarding the altcoin’s direction in the spot market.
Phishing scams in the crypto sector are becoming more advanced, with attackers stealing more than $5.2 million from unsuspecting users in April 2025.
According to data from blockchain security firm Scam Sniffer, the losses mark a 17% drop from March’s $6.37 million. However, the number of victims surged by 26%, with 7,565 individuals falling prey to fraudulent schemes last month.
Scam Sniffer reported that the most damaging incident in April involved a phishing signature scheme, which led to a $1.4 million loss.
In this case, the victim unknowingly approved several fraudulent requests, enabling the attacker to drain their wallet. These scams typically trick users into signing digital approvals that authorize token transfers without their knowledge.
Crypto Phishing Scams in April. Source: Scam Sniffer
Another notable case involved an address spoofing technique known as address poisoning. An unsuspecting user lost $700,000 after sending funds to a fake wallet address that closely resembled one they had interacted with previously.
Yu Xian, founder of blockchain security firm SlowMist, warned that attackers now target users through Telegram. They use AI-generated voice messages and personalized chats to deceive victims.
In one reported case, Xian noted that a compromised Telegram account was used to send voice clips that imitated a victim’s trusted contacts. The voice messages, likely produced with AI tools, were built from earlier voice logs to mimic tone and speech patterns.
“Don’t trust just one source. When it involves money, always establish another reliable source for verification,” Xian stated.
These developments mirror an earlier case in which an elderly US citizen lost 3,520 BTC, worth over $330 million, to a sophisticated social engineering scam.
CertiK, another blockchain security provider, reported that the Bitcoin theft contributed significantly to the industry’s total losses in April.
According to the firm, the emerging industry lost $364 million to hacks, scams, and exploits during the reporting period. Around $18.2 million of these stolen funds have since been recovered.
These developments underscore the growing sophistication of crypto scams. They also highlight the urgent need for improved user education, wallet security, and anti-phishing tools within the industry.
GoPlus Security unveiled the latest playbook employed by a well-coordinated scam network targeting unsuspecting crypto users with promises of effortless USDT earnings.
Meanwhile, deepfake AI is progressively becoming a concern. Bad actors leverage authoritative voices in the industry to target unsuspecting victims. These mark an alarming disclosure that mirrors the growing sophistication of crypto fraud.
These projects entice users with the promise of “zero-cost, stable USDT rewards” in exchange for completing simple, low-effort tasks. Once initial contact is established, scammers send small tokens and minimal USDT over several days to establish legitimacy. But it’s all a calculated ruse.
The ultimate goal is to convince users to grant token approval permissions, often to externally owned accounts (EOAs). Once approvals are in place, the scammers continue sending rewards for days or weeks while monitoring wallets.
When a user’s balance crosses a threshold or revocation activity is detected, high-speed front-running bots swoop in and drain funds in seconds. These trading bots are willing to burn gas at any cost.
“This is a long game to catch big fish,” GoPlus warned in its statement.
Against this backdrop, GoPlus Security cautions against granting unlimited token approvals, especially to EOAs. The firm also urges users to adopt proactive on-chain security tools.
“There’s no such thing as free money — don’t trust projects that claim you can easily earn just by participating,” it added.
As BeInCrypto reported, these range from verifying token contracts and approval histories to using tools that limit permissions or automatically revoke dormant approvals.
Deepfake Deception: The Next Frontier of Crypto Fraud
Beyond blockchain, crypto scams are exploiting artificial intelligence at a dangerous scale. Bad actors also weaponize deepfake technology, which creates convincingly fake videos of public figures, to defraud investors.
In a warning earlier this year, Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) revealed AI-generated clips promoting fake investment platforms falsely endorsed by major crypto personalities.
“There are deepfake videos of me on other social media platforms. Please beware,” CZ stated.
A disturbing example recently emerged in Ghana. The country’s Ashesi University denounced a deepfake impersonation of its president, Patrick Awuah Jr. Reportedly, scammers used him to promote a scam called “Crypto Klutz.”
They embedded the video in a fake news article mimicking Graphic Online. The scammers circulated it alongside doctored X screenshots to manufacture credibility.
“…Neither Patrick Awuah nor Ashesi University is associated with this or any similar platform. Please help protect our community by reporting it as fraudulent when encountered and encourage others who see it to do the same,” the university articulated.
It cited too-good-to-be-true promises, fake celebrity endorsements, and non-existent exchanges or wallets. Other red flags include urgency tactics to rush decisions, and demands for private keys or upfront payments.
A Variety report confirmed that deepfake-assisted fraud surpassed $200 million in losses in Q1 2025 alone. This figure highlights how fast scammers scale operations through generative AI and synthetic media.
As on-chain scams become more patient and AI deepfakes more persuasive, the crypto community faces a dual-threat environment unlike anything seen before.
“AI-powered scams are changing the crypto game. With deepfakes, voice cloning, and AI-generated phishing, scammers are raking in millions,” trader Crypto Frontline remarked.
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