In a world where the cryptocurrency market thrives on intrigue and speculation, Shytoshi Kusama, the enigmatic lead developer and co-founder of the Shiba Inu (SHIB/USD) ecosystem, has once again piqued the curiosity of crypto enthusiasts. His recent post on social media has sent ripples through the community, leading to rampant theories and conjecture about the future of the SHIB project.
The Cryptic Post
Kusama’s latest message, a repost from X user Tsukiyomi Mishima, reads, “I think this will be the last chapter to my story…” This mysterious declaration has caught the attention of many. The choice of the name “Tsukiyomi,” referencing the moon god in Japanese mythology, and “Mishima,” possibly nodding to the famous author Yukio Mishima, adds an additional layer of depth to the post. Accompanied by Hokusai’s iconic woodblock print, “The Great Wave off Kanagawa,” the imagery further enhances the post’s cryptic nature.
For those unfamiliar with Japanese culture, Tsukiyomi symbolizes transformation and the cyclical nature of life, while Mishima’s literary legacy embodies themes of identity and existentialism. These associations prompt speculation about Kusama’s intentions, with many wondering if this signals an impending departure from the Shiba Inu project, mirroring the exit of his predecessor, Ryoshi, in 2022.
Speculations and Reassurances
While the community initially buzzed with theories about Kusama’s potential exit, he later clarified that he would not be leaving the project. However, the uncertainty surrounding his cryptic message has left many pondering the implications of his post. Is it merely a reflection on the project’s evolution, or does it hint at a major transition ahead?
Kusama has been at the helm of the Shiba Inu ecosystem since Ryoshi’s abrupt exit, and his leadership has been pivotal in steering the project toward greater decentralization. Earlier this year, he indicated that the vision laid out by Ryoshi was nearing completion, with a fully decentralized system in sight. He even mentioned stepping back from the spotlight, which adds weight to the speculation surrounding his recent post.
In the realm of decentralized projects, leadership can significantly impact the community’s sentiment and the project’s trajectory. Kusama’s role has been likened to that of Satoshi Nakamoto, the elusive creator of Bitcoin, whose identity remains unknown. This parallel emphasizes the mystery surrounding both figures and the influence they wield over their respective ecosystems.
The Shiba Inu community has grown immensely since its inception, often characterized by its enthusiastic and passionate members. However, as the project matures, the potential for leadership changes raises questions about its future direction and sustainability. The recent intrigue surrounding Kusama’s post serves as a reminder of the fine line between speculation and reality in the fast-paced world of cryptocurrency.
Looking Ahead – SHIB’s Journey to the Moon?
Despite the swirling rumors, one thing is clear: the Shiba Inu ecosystem remains dynamic and full of potential. Whether Kusama’s message is a prelude to a significant shift or simply an artistic reflection, it has ignited conversations about the project’s future.
As Shiba Inu continues to evolve, the community eagerly awaits clarity on Kusama’s intentions and the project’s roadmap. With its sights set on a brighter future, the SHIB community remains hopeful for the journey ahead—one that could very well lead “to the moon.”
In this ever-changing landscape, the narrative surrounding Shytoshi Kusama and the Shiba Inu ecosystem will undoubtedly continue to captivate and inspire, making it a topic to watch in the cryptocurrency sphere.
Solana has posted a 7% increase in the past 24 hours, aligning with the broader market’s recovery. While this surge may appear promising, technical and on-chain data suggest that the coin could face significant resistance.
Despite the recent rally, SOL risks shedding these gains and could fall below the $100 mark if bearish pressures dominate.
Solana’s Price Surge Lacks Momentum
While impressive, SOL’s current rally largely reflects the broader market trend rather than demand for the altcoin. The bearish divergence formed by its Chaikin Money Flow (CMF) shows this.
At press time, SOL’s CMF is below the zero line at -0.09, indicating a lack of buying momentum among SOL market participants.
The CMF indicator measures money flow into and out of an asset. A bearish divergence emerges when the CMF is negative while the price is climbing. The divergence signals that despite the upward movement, there is more selling pressure than buying interest, suggesting weak bullish momentum.
This indicates that SOL’s current price rally may lack sustainability and could be at risk of reversing or stalling as new demand remains scarce.
Further, the coin’s long/short ratio highlights that its market participants lean more heavily toward the short side. At press time, this stands at 0.97.
The long/short ratio measures the balance between long positions (betting on price increases) and short positions (betting on price decreases) in the market. When the ratio is below zero like this, it indicates that there are more short positions than long positions.
This suggests that bearish sentiment remains dominant in the SOL market, and its futures traders are anticipating a decline in the asset’s price.
Solana in Crucial Zone: Will $95 Hold or Lead to a Steeper Decline?
During Monday’s intraday trading session, SOL plummeted to a 12-month low of $95.26. Although it has since rebounded to trade at $108.77 at press time, the lingering bearish bias leaves the coin at risk of shedding these gains.
If SOL witnesses a pullback, it could break below the support at $107.88. If it falls back below $100, the coin’s price could fall toward $79.
On the other hand, if the uptrend continues, backed by a surge in new demand, SOL’s price could breach the resistance at $111.06 and climb toward $130.82.
Token2049 Dubai will host the most influential players in the blockchain space. Among them, Meta Earth stands out as the rising unicorn in the modular blockchain sector, being the only modular blockchain project among the title and platinum sponsors. Within just a year, its public testing has already attracted over 1 million users, with nearly 600,000 completing KYC verification. Meta Earth is bringing more than $1 million in prizes to the event, but the highlight will undoubtedly be its Official Launch Event, attended by over 300+ KOLs and top-tier media.
Meta Earth Official Launch Event
Date: May 1, 2025, 16:00 – 19:30
Location: Address Sky View – Dubai
Following the Explorer’s Tour global public testing event last April, Meta Earth returns to center stage with its most significant milestone yet—the transition from ME Network v1.0 to the fully modular ME Network v2.0. This event will unveil groundbreaking technological advancements, an expansive global community, and a well-structured ecosystem, marking the beginning of a new era for Meta Earth.
As a leader in Web3 innovation, Meta Earth will use this event to present the core innovations of ME Network v2.0, global strategic plans, major airdrop campaigns, and the future ecosystem roadmap. Additionally, it will dive deep into the modular blockchain sector and its immense opportunities.
This is not just an industry-leading event—it is an exploration into the future of decentralized value!
1. Airdrop Rewards & $1,000 Mystery Grand Prizes Await!
This event is not just a global spectacle—it’s the annual celebration of the Meta Earth community! To ensure every attendee walks away with value, Meta Earth is launching an exclusive airdrop campaign with thrilling rewards. More importantly, there will be an on-site exclusive giveaway—1,000 mystery prizes each worth over $1,000！
Simply by attending, you can unlock your exclusive airdrop and stand a chance to win thousands of dollars in rewards. Every participating community member is guaranteed to walk away with prizes far beyond expectations!
2. The World’s Leading Web3 Resources Converge—Seize the Future First!
The Meta Earth Official Launch Event will be the most high-profile gathering in the industry, bringing together over 100 top-tier media outlets and 300+ leading KOLs, industry veterans, and blockchain pioneers. The most influential voices in the space will meet here, where capital, technology, and ecosystem builders will exchange ideas and propel the future of Web3 forward.
For attendees, this is a rare chance to step into the industry’s inner circle, engage directly with top-tier institutions and Web3 visionaries, expand their perspectives, and gain deep insights into emerging trends and opportunities.
3. Exclusive Face-to-Face with the Core Team—Get Ahead in the Meta Earth Ecosystem
Meta Earth’s founding team will personally attend, providing an unfiltered and exclusive experience to meet and engage with the visionaries behind the project.
Meta Earth Founder will unveil the untold stories behind the project’s inception and share insights into the team’s mission and long-term strategy.
Meta Earth CSO will outline the project’s evolution, community growth, and ecosystem expansion—potentially revealing major future airdrop campaigns.
Meta Earth CTO will provide a deep-dive into the technical framework and the roadmap for Meta Earth’s continued innovation.
Attendees will gain first-hand insights into Meta Earth’s background, technology, ecosystem, and market strategy, while also securing early access to upcoming airdrop programs and exclusive incentives—getting ahead of the market and strategically positioning themselves for future opportunities.
For those looking to deeply engage with Meta Earth and unlock its potential value, this launch event is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
4. Leading the Modular Blockchain Era—Unstoppable Growth Momentum!
In just a few months, Meta Earth’s ME ID on-chain verified users have reached around 600,000with nodes deployed across 40+ countries and a rapidly growing network of 100+ global ambassadors—demonstrating unparalleled market recognition and adoption.
This exponential growth stems from Meta Earth’s technological superiority in the blockchain sector and its innovative economic model. As the modular blockchain approach becomes the industry’s technological cornerstone, Meta Earth has already taken the lead by integrating highly scalable modular blockchain solutions, drastically improving network performance, reducing user costs, and establishing a solid foundation for mass adoption and commercial applications.
Moreover, Meta Earth has developed ME ID—the world’s only fully KYC-based decentralized identity system, ensuring that every user is verified and directly connected to a real-world identity. This creates a fully compliant, real-user-based network, making Meta Earth the industry’s most sustainable ecosystem.
ME ID is not just an identity verification system—it is a gateway to continuous value creation. Users who complete KYC verification will permanently receive basic income, daily check-in rewards, monthly dividends, referral incentives, and node staking rewards, ensuring that everyone can participate and benefit from the Meta Earth ecosystem.
With technological innovation, a real-user economy, token incentives, and regulatory compliance, Meta Earth is set to become the most promising leader in the modular blockchain sector.
5. A Dual Mega Event—Ushering in a New Era for Web3!
This official launch event is not just a major technology and ecosystem milestone—it is a defining moment in Meta Earth’s global community expansion.
As a Platinum Sponsor of TOKEN2049 Dubai, Meta Earth will first make its grand appearance on April 30 with a high-profile booth exhibition, providing opportunities for deep discussions with global blockchain leaders. On May 1, Meta Earth will officially unveil its cutting-edge technology, ecosystem expansion plans, major airdrop policies, and future strategies at its grand launch event.
The Web3 revolution is here, and we are on the brink of witnessing the rise of Meta Earth as a foundational modular blockchain infrastructure with global-scale adoption.
Join Meta Earth at Token2049 Dubai and claim your place in the future of Web3!
Social engineering scams are on the rise, and these exploits have particularly targeted Coinbase users throughout the first quarter of 2025. According to a series of investigations by ZachXBT, users have lost over $100 million in funds since December 2024, while annual losses reached $300 million.
After sorting through the complaints made by different users, BeInCrypto spoke with Coinbase Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Jeff Lunglhofer to understand what makes users vulnerable to these kinds of attacks, how they happen, and what’s being done to stop them.
Gauging the Seriousness of Scams Affecting Coinbase Users
Throughout the first quarter of 2025, several Coinbase users fell victim to social engineering scams. As the leading centralized exchange in a sector where hacks are becoming more sophisticated with time, this reality is no surprise.
In a recent investigation, Web3 researcher ZachXBT reported on several messages he received from different X users who had suffered major withdrawals from their Coinbase accounts.
1/ Over the past few months I imagine you have seen many Coinbase users complain on X about their accounts suddenly being restricted.
This is the result of aggressive risk models and Coinbase’s failure to stop its users losing $300M+ per year to social engineering scams. pic.twitter.com/PjtX7vmjqc
On March 28, ZachXBT revealed a significant social engineering exploit that cost one individual close to $35 million. The crypto sleuth’s further investigations during that period uncovered additional victims of the same exploit, pushing the total stolen in March alone to more than $46 million.
In a separate investigation concluded a month earlier, ZachXBT revealed that $65 million was stolen from Coinbase users between December 2024 and January 2025. He also reported that Coinbase has been quietly grappling with a social engineering scam issue costing its users $300 million a year.
While Coinbase users have been particularly vulnerable to social engineering scams, centralized exchanges, in general, have also been significantly impacted by these increasingly sophisticated attacks.
How Does The Broader Context Reflect This Situation?
Public data regarding the evolution of social engineering scams in recent years is limited and somewhat outdated. Yet, the numbers in the available reports are staggering.
In 2023, the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) under the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released its first-ever cryptocurrency report. Investment fraud constituted the largest category of cryptocurrency-related complaints, representing 46% of the nearly 69,500 complaints received, or approximately 33,000 cases.
The FBI’s IC3 reported an increase in crypto-related scams in 2023. Source: IC3.
Investment fraud, or pig butchering, involves false promises of high returns with low risk to lure investors, especially crypto newcomers driven by a fear of missing out on significant gains.
According to the IC3 report, these schemes rely on social engineering and building trust. Criminals use platforms like social media, dating apps, professional networks, or encrypted messaging to connect with their targets.
In 2023, these investment scams resulted in losses of $3.96 billion for users, representing a 53% increase from the previous year. Other social engineering scams, like phishing and spoofing, further constituted $9.6 million in losses.
Coinbase scammers tend to create fake emails that appear legitimate using cloned website images and false Case IDs. They then contact users through spoofed calls, leveraging private information to build trust before sending them these deceptive emails.
Once scammers have convinced users of the interaction’s legitimacy, they exploit the situation to persuade them to transfer funds.
The increasing sophistication of these scams illustrates both the emotional manipulation involved and the particular vulnerability of the victims. They demonstrate that centralized exchanges are often the primary platforms for these exploitations.
ZackXBT’s investigations and user reports on X reveal a gap between the extent of social engineering scams and Coinbase’s apparent management effectiveness.
Public discussions indicate that Coinbase has not flagged theft addresses in common compliance tools.
Victims of scams and users whose funds were frozen are urging Coinbase to take stronger action against this growing and costly issue. Understanding how these scams take place is essential to effectively addressing them.
How Are Coinbase Users Made Victims?
In January, a victim contacted the investigator after losing $850,000. In that instance, the scammer contacted the victim from a spoofed phone number, using personal information likely obtained from private databases to gain their trust.
5/ They then sent a spoofed email which appeared to be from Coinbase with a fake Case ID further gaining trust.
They instructed the victim to transfer funds to a Coinbase Wallet and whitelist an address while “support” verified their accounts security. pic.twitter.com/pOTQpnMfCz
The scammer convinced the victim that their account had suffered multiple unauthorized login attempts by sending them a spoofed email with a fake Case ID. The scammer then instructed the victim to safelist an address and transfer funds to another Coinbase wallet as part of a routine security procedure.
Last October, another Coinbase user lost $6.5 million after receiving a call from a spoofed number impersonating Coinbase support.
The victim was coerced into using a phishing site. Eight months earlier, another victim lost $4 million after a scammer convinced them to reset their Coinbase login.
ZachXBT raised concerns about Coinbase’s lack of reporting the theft addresses in common compliance resources and their perceived inadequate handling of the escalating social engineering issue.
In a conversation with BeInCrypto, Jeff Lunglhofer, Coinbase’s Chief Information Security Officer, shared his version of the events.
Coinbase CISO Addresses Social Engineering Scams
Despite Coinbase’s clear understanding of the widespread harm caused by social engineering scams affecting its users, Lunglhofer stressed that the broader crypto community should address this problem collectively rather than entrusting the responsibility to a single entity.
“In the context of the broader social engineering challenge that’s out there, of course, Coinbase customers are impacted. We’re keenly aware of it. We’ve been rolling [out] a number of control improvements to help protect our users, and, I think more importantly, we are working with the broader industry to bring these ideas and these control uplifts across the industry, across all crypto exchanges, across everything,” Lunglhofer told BeInCrypto.
Coinbase’s CISO referenced the exchange’s collaborative efforts with other platforms to combat this problem in his reply.
Specifically, Lunglhofer pointed to the “Tech Against Scams” initiative, a partnership with industry players like Match Group, Meta, Kraken, Ripple, and Gemini to fight online fraud and financial schemes.
Lunglhofer also added that Coinbase takes a similar approach when flagging theft addresses.
Why Coinbase Handles Theft Addresses Differently
When BeInCrypto asked Coinbase why it doesn’t publish theft addresses across popular compliance tools, Lunglhofer explained that the exchange has a different procedure for these scenarios.
“We will communicate with other exchanges directly [and] let them know the addresses that we’ve seen where assets have been withdrawn,” he said, adding that “when we see that there’s, in fact, fraudulent [activity], we will pull back all the wallets that are associated with the fraud and we’ll push those out to the other exchanges that we have communications with,” he said.
Lunglhofer also mentioned Crypto ISAC, an intelligence and information-sharing group established by Coinbase in collaboration with various other crypto exchanges and organizations to distribute information related to scams.
Coinbase’s Struggle Against the Flood of Spoofed Content
Lunglhofer admitted that the number of spoofed emails Coinbase identifies or receives in the form of reports far exceeds the exchange’s capacity to take them down.
“Regrettably, they’re a dime a dozen. I can open ten of them in five minutes. It’s super easy to do. So there’s not a lot we can do about that. But, when we identify them [or when] a customer reports them, we do have them taken down,” he said.
Coinbase uses vendors to eliminate circulating spoofs or phishing campaigns in those instances.
“We have several vendors that we use to do takedowns. So anytime we see a fraudulent phone number pop up, anytime we see a fraudulent URL [or] a fraudulent website get established, we will issue those for takedown. We’ll use our vendors to work with the DNS providers and others to bring those down as quickly as possible,” Lunglhofer told BeInCrypto.
Although these preventative measures are essential for the future, they provide minimal recourse for users who have already lost millions of dollars to scams.
Whose Responsibility Is It? User vs. Exchange
Coinbase did not respond to BeInCrypto’s inquiry about developing an insurance policy for users who lost savings to social engineering scams, leaving their approach in this area unclear.
Yet, social engineering scams are complex, relying on significant emotional manipulation to build trust. This complexity raises questions about the degree of responsibility that falls on user vulnerability versus potential shortcomings in the centralized exchange’s user protection measures.
The broader cryptocurrency community generally agrees that more educational materials are necessary to help users distinguish between legitimate communications and scam attempts.
Regarding this issue, Lunglhofer clarified that Coinbase will never call users out of the blue. He also noted that Coinbase has recently implemented different features that act as warnings for users potentially interacting with a scam.
Furthermore, the CISO cited a ‘scam quiz,’ an educational tool that appears as a real-time banner when a user is about to undertake a transaction flagged as suspicious by the exchange.
Though this feature is an advantage, its ability to protect users is hard to quantify, especially regarding how efficiently it flags suspicious activity. Coinbase did not respond when BeInCrypto asked if the exchange internally tracked data related to social engineering scams.
A similar issue arises with Coinbase’s ‘allow lists.’
The $850,000 Coinbase Loss
Coinbase offers a feature that enables users to create a safelist of approved recipient addresses to help prevent transactions to unfamiliar or unverified addresses. Lunglhofer strongly urges Coinbase users to adopt this measure.
“We offer every retail customer the ability to create ‘allow lists’ for wallets that they’re permitted to transfer assets to. On my personal account on Coinbase, I have ‘allow listing’ turned on, and I only have three wallets that are allowed,” Lunglhofer detailed.
However, the $850,000 scam loss suffered by a Coinbase user in January, as revealed by ZachXBT, shows a critical limitation of safelists.
Even after a victim adds a theft address, manipulation leading to this addition can still occur, thereby neutralizing the intended protection.
Can Coinbase Do More to Protect Users?
Sophisticated social engineering scams are a growing threat, creating significant challenges for crypto users. Coinbase users and centralized exchanges in general are particularly affected.
Despite Coinbase’s outlined efforts, the significant financial losses highlight the limitations of current industry-standard measures against determined scammers.
While cooperation is crucial across the board, Coinbase, as a leading platform, must also put more proactive efforts and resources into educating its users.
Social engineering is predominantly a user-driven issue, not a security failure for any exchange. Yet, platforms like Coinbase have the critical responsibility to lead industry-wide initiatives to address these threats.
The millions lost are a stark reminder that vigilance and collective action are paramount in safeguarding users against these increasingly refined and frequent attacks.
