Europol has confirmed that a Telegram channel impersonating the agency and offering a $50,000 reward for information on two Qilin ransomware administrators is fake. The impostor later admitted it was created to troll researchers and journalists.

“We were also surprised to see this story gaining traction,” Europol told BleepingComputer on Monday. “The announcement didn’t come from us.”

The statement comes after a new Telegram channel called @europolcti was created on August 16th, claiming to offer a $50,000 reward for information on two Qilin ransomware admins known as “Haise” and “XORacle”.

“During the course of ongoing international investigations, we have confirmed that the cybercriminal group Qilin has carried out ransomware attacks worldwide, severely disrupting critical infrastructure and causing significant financial losses,” reads the imposter’s Telegram post.

“We have identified two primary administrators operating under the aliases Haise and XORacle, who coordinate affiliates and oversee extortion activities.”

“We are actively pursuing all available leads in cooperation with international partners.”

“A reward of up to $50,000 is offered for information that directly leads to the identification or location of these administrators.”

Haise is believed to be one of the operators of the Qilian ransomware gang, previously recruiting affiliates on the RAMP cybercrime forum.

The Qilin ransomware operation was initially launched as “Agenda” in August 2022. However, by September that year, it had rebranded under the name Qilin, which it continues to use to this day.

The ransomware operation is one of the most active, currently targeting companies worldwide.

However, after Europol confirmed it was fake, a new post appeared on the imposter channel claiming it was created to troll researchers and journalists, some of whom wrote articles about the claims.

“This was so easy to run and fool so called ‘Researchers’ and ‘Journalists’ that just copy stuff.. Thank you all!,” reads the new post.

The post was signed by Rey, a hacker previously linked to breaches at Telefonica and Orange Group.

Threat actors had begun trolling Qilin in August 15th posts on a Telegram channel impersonating threat actors from “Scattered Spider”, “ShinyHunters”, and “Lapsus,” where someone had begun calling out Haise and the ransomware operation.

This is not the first time threat actors attempted to mislead the media about cybercrime.

In 2021, a RAMP admin known as ‘Orange’ or ‘boriselcin’ and who ran the “Groove” ransomware site, called on threat actors to attack the USA. This threat actor was later sanctioned by the US for his involvement in three ransomware operations that targeted victims across the United States.

After the media covered this post, including BleepingComputer, the threat actor claimed it was fake and was created to troll and manipulate the media and security researchers.

However, security researchers from McAfee and Intel 471 believe that it was likely the threat actor trying to cover up for a failed ransomware-as-a-service.

In 2023, BleepingComputer receieved a “tip” about an alleged arrest of two Canadian teens over a crypto-theft attack.

While BleepingComputer learned that the news was fake and did not cover the story, we were told it was done to manipulate the media and “troll” the people accused of the theft.

TRON founder Justin Sun has revealed that the network might reduce the TRX block rewards due to TRX’s rising price, sparking a discussion in the cryptocurrency community.

Sun noted that this move is similar to Bitcoin’s halving mechanism, capturing the attention of investors who are wondering about the plan’s possible impact on traders.

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Tron: Reducing Block Rewards

Sun shared, in a post on X, his thoughts on potentially implementing a reduction in the network’s reward scheme for its TRX.

He said that it is worth paying attention to the discussion about TRX’s upcoming reduction in block rewards.

“Here are my personal thoughts. As we all know, TRX is already in a deflationary state of 1% per year, making it the only deflationary asset among major cryptocurrencies,” he explained.

The TRON founder said that due to TRX’s rising price, “the rewards for block-producing nodes across the network have increased significantly, so a moderate reduction could be considered.”

This discussion about TRX’s upcoming reduction in block rewards is worth paying attention to! Will TRX follow Bitcoin’s path and enter a halving cycle?

Here are my personal thoughts. As we all know, TRX is already in a deflationary state of 1% per year, making it the only…

— H.E. Justin Sun (@justinsuntron) March 21, 2025

Following Bitcoin’s Path

In the post, Sun said that TRX might follow what happened to Bitcoin, saying, “Will TRX follow Bitcoin’s path and enter a halving cycle?”

He explained that the firstborn cryptocurrency followed a similar path, saying that once the BTC network grew, investors saw a gradual decrease in its block rewards.

“In the early days, higher rewards were necessary for bootstrapping the network. However, as Bitcoin’s price surged, block rewards were lowered, and the halving cycle played a crucial role in Bitcoin’s long-term sustainability—aligning with Satoshi Nakamoto‘s original vision,” the founder added.

Impact Of The Reduction

Sun also shared the possible impact of reducing TRX block rewards, giving two scenarios.

“If daily block rewards are reduced by 1 million TRX, the deflation rate would increase by 50%, reaching 1.5% per year,” he said.

On the other hand, he believes that if TRX is reduced by 2 million, the deflation rate would increase to 2% per year, “effectively doubling the deflation rate, with an impact on TRX cycles comparable to Bitcoin’s halving.”

“Even with a block reward reduction, the current incentives for network validators remain highly attractive. Ultimately, this decision rests with the TRX community,” he added.

The founder revealed that the network has formally submitted on GitHub the proposed block rewards reduction.

Related Reading

“The adjustment aims to create a more balanced supply-demand dynamic encouraging increased user participation in staking. This will benefit all stakeholders, ensure the TRX block rewards consistent with the maturity of the TRON network, and promote the healthy and sustainable development of the TRON ecosystem,” the network stated in the proposal.

Among the benefits that can be gained from its implementation are better deflation, increased staking incentives, strengthened network security, and improved economic alignment.

“Timely adjustments to TRX block rewards can better promote the healthy and sustainable development of the TRON network and TRON ecosystem,” the network added.

Featured image from Gemini Imagen, chart from TradingView

March 18th, 2025 – London, United Kingdom

TokenPicks, the leading crypto education and research platform, has introduced a new Candy reward system designed to encourage user engagement and learning.

With this innovative feature, TokenPicks users can claim one free Candy every 24 hours simply by opening the app. Additionally, users can complete various in-app tasks to earn more Candies, encouraging consistent learning and engagement.

A leaderboard system tracks the top Candy holders, with the highest-ranking users receiving Bitcoin rewards each month. This initiative integrates a gamified approach to cryptocurrency education, aiming to enhance user engagement through incentivized learning.

“We believe education should be incentivized,” said Denning, CEO at TokenPicks. “Our goal is to make crypto learning engaging, interactive, and rewarding for everyone.”

With the growing adoption of cryptocurrency, TokenPicks aims to empower users with valuable insights, expert research, and real rewards to help them navigate the market confidently.

Users can download TokenPicks now and begin claiming their daily rewards.

About TokenPicks

TokenPicks is a cryptocurrency education and research platform providing real-time market insights, educational resources, and customizable signal tools. The platform aims to help users navigate the crypto market through expert analysis and interactive learning. For more information, users can visit TokenPicks.com.

Contact

Mr Denning
tokenpicks@gmail.com

The NXI airdrop has two main initiatives to help you earn and engage before the NXI token launch in Dec 2024. In this article, you’ll learn about Billionaire’s Path: Build Your Fortune, a casual wealth-building game on Telegram with a $500,000 NXI token pool and an Everdawn Champions Airdrop Campaign with 105 million NXI tokens across multiple reward pools.

Backed by Animoca Brands, this is NXI’s way of building a community-driven ecosystem. Let’s dive into how the airdrops work and what’s in them for you.

Billionaire’s Path: Earn with a Casual Game on Telegram

Billionaire’s Path: Build Your Fortune is a hypercasual game on Telegram for players who want a simple and interactive way to earn virtual dollars and get rewards. This game has a $500,000 NXI token prize pool and is a low barrier to entry for anyone to get into the NXI ecosystem.

In Billionaire’s Path, you can engage in:

• Tapping to Earn: The main mechanic of the game allows you to collect virtual dollars by tapping, which is easy for anyone to start building their “wealth.”

• Daily Rewards and Slot Machine: Daily logins give you extra bonuses, and the slot machine feature gives you variable rewards to keep things interesting.

• Business Investments: For a more serious approach, you can invest in virtual businesses to earn passive income.

• Referral Incentives: You get 10% of your invited friends earnings.

Billionaire’s Path is available on both desktop and mobile, so you can earn NXI tokens and play at your own pace.

Everdawn Champions Airdrop Campaign: 4 Reward Pools for Token Rewards

Apart from Billionaire’s Path, the Everdawn Champions Airdrop Campaign is a competitive space where you can earn NXI tokens through leaderboards and tasks. Everdawn Champions is a free-to-play, Tactical Trading Card Game where your cards come to life. With 105,000,000 NXI tokens up for grabs, this campaign has 4 main reward pools for different types of participants:

1. Questing Leaderboard: The Questing Leaderboard rewards players for creating an account on the Everdawn Game Portal, linking a Web3 wallet and completing daily quests. With 30 million NXI tokens in the pool, the top 5,000 players will share in these rewards. And an extra 5,000 participants who earn at least 1,250 points will get tokens through random selection.

2. Everdawn Champions Leaderboard: This leaderboard is for players of Everdawn Champions on the Epic Games Store. Points are awarded for game completions and wins (300 points per win, 100 points for completed games). The top 5,000 players will share 30 million NXI tokens with extra rewards for players who earn over 1,000 points.

3. Champions NFT Holders: 30 million NXI tokens are reserved for Everdawn Champions NFT holders, who will get an airdrop automatically. NFT rarity and attributes will increase the reward amount, and staking options will be available for players who want to get more tokens.

4. Referrals: 15,000,000 NXI tokens are allocated to the referral pool. Referrers earn points for each new user they invite, and the top 2,000 referrers will share in the token pool. And 1,000 random participants with at least 100 referral points will get tokens.

These four pools in the Everdawn Champions Airdrop Campaign give players different ways to earn NXI tokens, each with varying levels of engagement and competition.

The airdrop campaign is part of NXI’s larger vision to build a community-driven gaming ecosystem that rewards user participation. At the heart of this ecosystem is the $NXI token, which connects three main components: NXI Play, NXI Build and NXI Share. Each allows users to earn, interact and contribute.

The NXI team has already received backing through an oversubscribed pre-seed funding round and partnerships with Sky Vision Capital. With this support, NXI will expand beyond the airdrop campaign and add more games and Web3 integrations focusing on user engagement.

As the NXI token will list on top exchanges, the airdrop campaign is a way for new users to get in, with different entry points for crypto newbies and Web3 enthusiasts.

Conclusion

The NXI airdrop campaign is a mix of casual and competitive, so players can choose how to engage with the ecosystem. Whether through Billionaire’s Path game or Everdawn Champions Airdrop Campaign, players have plenty of ways to earn and contribute.

Overall, with Animoca Brands on board, the airdrop campaign shows NXI’s focus on community gaming. Get in, start earning NXI tokens now, and prepare for NXI in Web3 gaming.

Editor’s note: Written with the assistance of AI – Edited and fact-checked by Jason Newey.

A lot of attention is focused on OpenSea, one of the largest NFT marketplaces in the world, now that it has registered in the Cayman Islands. Many users and industry folks think the move to the Cayman Islands—a jurisdiction known for being crypto-friendly—means a token is coming. In fact, some are already whispering about a token airdrop and hoping early supporters will get rewarded. It’s no secret this will increase trading volume on the platform and bring interest back to the NFT space.

OpenSea’s Strategic Move

By choosing the Cayman Islands, OpenSea is entering a space that allows token issuance and is friendly to crypto projects. This could be good timing as the platform is exploring a token launch, possibly a token airdrop, to strengthen the community. This will also attract more users if it rewards early supporters who have been with OpenSea through thick and thin. With the Cayman Islands being accommodating towards cryptocurrency, this new base will allow OpenSea to implement new incentives and attract attention in a competitive NFT space.

With OpenSea registered in the Cayman Islands industry folks expect the platform to experiment with new ways to engage with the audience. If a new OpenSea token comes out it will inspire more participation and more trading volume and loyalty. The presence of the OpenSea Foundation and a foundation in the cayman shows a long term plan which aligns with the region’s crypto friendly policies.

Implications for the NFT Space

If OpenSea uses the Cayman Islands setup to drop a token we could see a domino effect across the entire NFT space. One reason is that a well structured token drop will bring new energy to the community and attract users who want to get rewarded. Higher trading volume follows and that will encourage more participation. Other virtual asset platforms will also enter the market and enhance competition as others consider similar strategies to attract users.

OpenSea’s Plans for NFT Trading

As OpenSea moves into the next chapter the so called “OpenSea 2.0” update will bring a new platform experience. Among the features are support for Bitcoin Ordinals and new user features like leaderboards—tools that will make the marketplace more attractive. This will also set the stage for a user airdrop that will reward long-time supporters with tokens and increase trading volume. OpenSea might even create their own Ethereum layer-2 chain to reduce costs, speed up transactions, make the platform more user friendly and encourage deeper NFT market participation.

In the community there’s a lot of anticipation. Some users are pointing to comments from the matter labs community manager Golem who hopes OpenSea will finally acknowledge the community. Many users are wondering if a future token airdrop will take into account historical trading volume so that those who supported OpenSea throughout the years will be rewarded. This will not only reward the old timers but also attract new users who want to get in on the value and recognition.

OpenSea’s Comeback Strategy

There’s a lot of chatter that OpenSea is gearing up for a big comeback. By taking a step back and rebuilding the platform is signaling it wants to come back stronger than ever. A well-planned token launch and user-focused features will bring in old and new users. If this leads to huge trading volume OpenSea will solidify its spot at the top of the NFT space.

For example, look at Magic Eden, a well-known NFT marketplace on the Solana network. Magic Eden boosted community engagement by giving out “Magic Tickets” to their loyal users. OpenSea could do the same by airdropping a token to reignite the excitement and strengthen the user base. If done right this will turn casual users into committed users and increase trading volume and OpenSea’s influence.

Final thoughts

OpenSea’s Cayman Islands registration might be the first domino to fall in a much bigger plan. By going to the Cayman Islands OpenSea is setting the stage for a token launch that will reward its users and the NFT space. Whether it’s a token airdrop or another incentive the next few months will be interesting for everyone watching OpenSea. If this pays off we’ll look back at this moment as a pivot point that brought new life to a quiet corner of the digital collectibles world.

Editor’s note: This article was written with the assistance of AI. Edited and fact-checked by Owen Skelton.