investigation

The liquidity staking protocol Lido announced that MetaMask Staking (formerly Consensys Staking) has taken precautionary measures to protect customer assets related to its Ethereum validators after investigating an infrastructure breach incident. The related measures include withdrawing its Ethereum validators from the Lido protocol, which may result in some loss of rewards. If the validators go offline recently to reduce potential network slashing risks, it may also incur downtime penalties.Lido stated that the related validators have begun to withdraw, with the last batch expected to complete the withdrawal by October 7, 2026, but full withdrawals may not be completed by then. stETH holders do not need to take any action. The ETH withdrawn from the validators operated by MetaMask Staking is expected to gradually return to the protocol during the cycle of the validators completing the withdrawal, withdrawing, and re-entering, with the estimated maximum duration of this process being about 45 days due to extended queuing times.Lido reminds that staking operations are non-custodial, and MetaMask does not manage withdrawal keys on behalf of customers. The diversified node operators of the Lido protocol and other security mechanisms, including a temporary reserve of over 6,750 stETH, are designed to control and mitigate disruptions to the normal operation of the protocol. A comprehensive investigation is ongoing, and further updates will be announced separately.

According to CNBC, James Comer, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee and a Republican Congressman from Kentucky, is expanding the investigation into insider trading in prediction markets and is requesting three online platforms to explain their measures to combat related activities.In a letter sent on Tuesday, Comer requested documents and information from the CEOs of Hyperliquid Labs, Crypto.com, and Aristotle Exchange Inc., which owns the PredictIt platform, asking them to clarify their identity verification procedures and how they identify and prevent insider trading on their platforms.Comer stated, "As online prediction platforms continue to evolve and become more mainstream, some bad actors are betting using non-public information, making thousands of dollars. The House Oversight Committee is investigating whether these platforms are fulfilling their legal obligations and taking sufficient measures to identify and prevent insider trading before it occurs."

According to a report by Reuters, if the Democrats gain control of the House of Representatives or the Senate after the midterm elections in November, they are expected to launch investigations into business dealings related to Trump and his family, focusing on the cryptocurrency, prediction markets, and investment businesses involving the Trump family, as well as companies that funded projects for the White House.The report states that controlling either chamber of Congress will give the Democrats more resources for committee investigations and subpoena power, with some investigations potentially starting as early as February next year. The subjects of investigation frequently mentioned by Democratic lawmakers include the venture capital firm 1789 Capital, in which Donald Trump Jr. is involved, as well as cryptocurrency companies related to the Trump family, but a final list of investigations has not yet been established.Additionally, Republican Senator John Curtis has previously called for an investigation into some of Donald Trump Jr.'s business relationships, believing that the commercial activities of the presidential family should be subject to consistent congressional oversight.

A survey by the Democratic Party of the U.S. Senate claims that the stablecoin USDT issued by Tether has become a major payment method for Iran. The survey shows that among over 800 sanctioned cryptocurrency wallets, about 84% primarily or exclusively use USDT.The U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations had previously stated that its review of blockchain records, sanctions lists, and asset seizure notices found that the sanctioned wallets are mainly distributed across the Tron and Ethereum networks and have conducted USDT transactions.

Regarding the issue of abnormal asset transfers from user accounts, the MEXC customer service team responded on September 28, stating that they have completed a preliminary investigation and provided corresponding solutions. They will follow up with users via email for one-on-one communication, updating them on progress and required information, and reminding users to pay attention to their registered email and official channel communications.Previously, a MEXC user posted on X that their account was controlled after someone reset the security items. Between 04:12 and 04:25 on September 27 (Beijing time), 322,110 USDT and 9,133,999 ONE were transferred out, totaling approximately $340,000, just 27 minutes after the 24-hour transfer restriction was lifted. The user stated that MEXC has confirmed the account was hacked and has frozen the account to assist in recovery, but has not revoked the API left by the attacker. They have submitted a formal claim, with the ticket number M2026092712031.

The head of the Australian Senate Artificial Intelligence Inquiry Committee stated on Sunday that the CEOs of OpenAI and Anthropic have been summoned to attend the committee's hearing. This news was announced days after it was revealed that a rogue OpenAI robot had breached the database of Australia's healthcare system. Australian Prime Minister Albanese had previously strongly condemned the "Medicare" database leak incident. According to a spokesperson leading the inquiry committee, OpenAI's Altman and Anthropic's Amodei have received written subpoenas requiring their attendance at the hearing. The hearing will be held publicly on Thursday in the capital, Canberra.

X Platform post by Xu Jiayin stated that Bitget has commissioned a third-party security team to conduct an independent forensic investigation into this security incident. Multiple teams are working together to verify remedial measures, confirm the attack vector, and assist in law enforcement cooperation. The investigation results will be announced promptly.He stated that Bitget has sufficient protection funds to cover the related losses and will restore withdrawals as soon as all potential security risks are eliminated.

According to the French newspaper "Le Parisien," a family in the city of Taverny, Val-d'Oise, France, was taken hostage by an armed gang. The victim's wife and 10-year-old child were bound, and the male head of the household was tortured with a stun gun. The suspects attempted to seize his cryptocurrency assets, ultimately stealing only a small amount of cash and items from the house.Six suspects were transferred to judicial authorities on September 11 and are under investigation for charges including organized armed robbery, extortion, illegal detention, and participation in a criminal gang.

U.S. Senator John Curtis from Utah, a Republican, wrote to Chuck Grassley, the Chairman of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, and Dick Durbin, the Chief Minority Whip, calling for an investigation into whether Donald Trump Jr. and Hunter Biden exploited their presidential family connections for personal financial gain, and requested subpoenas for both individuals. Curtis pointed out that Donald Trump Jr. had accepted wedding gifts from Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev, actively promoted family-backed cryptocurrency ventures, and served as an advisor for a prediction market platform; the related companies are regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Donald Trump stated that his son has returned the relevant funds to Umar Kremlev.Curtis also called for an investigation into Hunter Biden's substantial business dealings with foreign entities, as well as whether the two utilized their relationship with the president to create commercial value. He mentioned that Joe Biden pardoned Hunter Biden in December 2024, who had previously denied involving his father in business transactions. A week prior to this investigation call, Senate Republicans failed to garner enough Democratic support to advance the Digital Asset Market Clear Act. Some Democratic senators opposed the bill, citing reasons including Donald Trump's use of cryptocurrency ventures to gain benefits related to the presidency; Donald Trump disclosed that he earned $1.4 billion from digital asset-related businesses in 2025.

MultiversX posted on the X platform that the team is investigating a potential issue detected on the MultiversX mainnet. Their top priority remains to protect users and ensure the network operates securely and reliably.MultiversX stated that further updates will be released within the next 12 hours or as soon as a clear conclusion is reached.

The Japanese yen stablecoin issuer JPYC has issued a malfunction notice, announcing the emergency suspension of the JPYC issuance reservation service on the Ethereum network.The official statement indicates that this function is currently in a suspended state, and the technical team is urgently investigating the specific cause of the malfunction. JPYC apologizes to the affected users regarding this matter and promises to release updates through official channels as soon as the details are confirmed.

On September 16, local time, the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) announced that it has launched a patent infringement investigation into certain electronic devices equipped with specific audio technology. The subjects of the investigation include Samsung Electronics and its U.S. subsidiaries, Apple Inc., and Google LLC. The initiation of the investigation itself does not constitute a determination of patent infringement.The investigation is based on a complaint submitted by BoomCloud 360 Inc. on August 14 and supplemented on August 31. The complainant alleges that the relevant devices infringe its patents when imported into and sold in the United States, violating Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, and requests that the ITC issue a limited exclusion order and a cease-and-desist order.The case will be assigned to an administrative law judge for a hearing on the evidence, which will make a preliminary determination on whether Section 337 has been violated, followed by a final decision after review by the ITC. The ITC will set a target date for completing the investigation within 45 days of the filing. The relief order will take effect immediately and become a final order after 60 days, unless the U.S. Trade Representative disapproves it for policy reasons within 60 days.

According to data submitted by the Korean National Police Agency to Democratic Party member Yoon Kyun-young's office, as of September 15, the Gangwon Provincial Police Agency's Cyber Investigation Team has initiated investigations into 26 Polymarket users, with 18 of them referred to the prosecution. The total betting amount involved is approximately 17.6 billion Korean won, with the highest individual bet being around 5.7 billion Korean won. The police believe that the trading activities on Polymarket clearly constitute illegal gambling.The Korean authorities identified and tracked these users by analyzing publicly available blockchain transaction records using open-source intelligence technology. The Korea Communications Standards Commission decided to block Polymarket on August 18. The KCSC determined that the platform's betting on uncontrollable events and its "winner takes all" profit model fostered a gambling mentality.

User Kevin Bass posted that he has audited the finances of the artificial intelligence company Anthropic and found shocking circumstances, thus calling for Congress to investigate. Bass stated: Anthropic not only seeks regulatory capture but has also built an unshuttable regulatory capture machine, with structural financial incentives making it impossible to shut down its AI doomsday loop. This loop begins with METR, which Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei proposed to be assessed for model risk by a third-party evaluation agency and suggested METR.Bass claimed that METR financially relies on Anthropic's success, particularly the explosive growth of Anthropic stock exceeding $7 billion. Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz invested this stock into Good Ventures Foundation, which constitutes the majority of the organization's portfolio, and GVF is the overwhelming funder of the entire Anthropic network ecosystem. This stock was worth $500 million earlier last year and is now valued at over $7.7 billion about 16 months later. METR cannot afford to interrupt this growth.Bass pointed out that the same organization funding METR also funds organizations promoting AI doomsday, such as the Tarbell Center, which has published articles in The Verge, Science, Los Angeles Times, and others. These organizations all rely on the same funding. Bass stated that METR and others are not independent of Anthropic and cannot provide independent assessments; Congress must investigate.

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has previously secretly approved at least three insider trading investigations related to Polymarket trading, involving contracts related to Biden's pardons, the Iran war, and Google-related events. The relevant investigation documents were obtained by WIRED through the Freedom of Information Act.Among them, CFTC Chairman Michael Selig approved an investigation into contracts related to Biden's pardons in May, after a trader had profited over $300,000 in the relevant market; in the same month, the CFTC also approved an investigation into Iran war contracts, after a group of suspicious accounts was reported to have profited $2.4 million with a win rate of about 98%. In July, the CFTC further initiated an investigation into Google-related Polymarket contracts, focusing on individuals who may have traded using non-public information regarding Google's 2025 search rankings. The Southern District Attorney's Office in New York is also conducting a parallel investigation.It is currently unclear whether the aforementioned accounts are connected to previously investigated individuals. Polymarket stated that the company would refer the relevant matters to law enforcement and cooperate with the investigation. As the prediction market rapidly expands, U.S. regulators are clearly intensifying their scrutiny of insider trading and market manipulation.

David Sacks, the chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, stated that Anthropic's initial public offering must be paused until the allegations against the "whistleblower" are investigated.The "whistleblower" refers to Jacob Cox, a former researcher at Anthropic. He previously conducted pre-training research at OpenAI and joined Anthropic in July 2026, but resigned in September after only about 4 months, publicly warning on X that many people inside leading AI companies genuinely believe that this technology could lead to human extinction within a decade. Both companies are irresponsibly racing towards self-improving superintelligence, essentially gambling with the lives of all humanity.When he left, his equity had not yet vested, as companies typically require 6 months for vesting to begin, thus he forfeited potential substantial stock gains. This occurred at a time when Anthropic had secretly submitted its IPO application, with a valuation approaching one trillion dollars.

According to Akchabar, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Kyrgyzstan, Ulan Niyazbekov, stated that since 2026, the country's internal affairs agency has initiated 90 criminal investigations related to cryptocurrency, involving cases of online fraud, theft of funds, money laundering, and the transfer of criminal proceeds.Niyazbekov revealed that during a 2025 investigation into a transnational online fraud gang, police discovered a TRON wallet holding over 3 million dollars in digital assets on a suspect's device and used blockchain analysis tools to trace the related funds.

A Binance user posted a complaint on the X platform, stating that more than thirty arbitrage positions in the AKEUSDT contract were all forcibly liquidated, resulting in a single-day loss of over 5 million USDT, with the principal nearly reduced to zero. The user accused the market makers of malicious short squeezing and targeted attacks, calling for the platform to intervene and investigate.According to the user, AKE rose from 0.0076 USDT to 0.044859 USDT within 8 hours, from September 2 at 21:00 to September 3 at 5:44, an increase of about 6 times, with the last 7 minutes seeing a direct doubling from 0.022432 to 0.044859. The user believes that such an extreme rate of market movement, without fundamental support and with a highly concentrated position, clearly constitutes manipulative behavior, and the platform should disclose risk control logs and compensate users for their losses. The user also compared this incident to the abnormal market conditions of the TUT contract on August 9, arguing that the structures of the two events are highly similar. As of the time of publication, Binance has not publicly responded to this incident. This complaint is a unilateral user statement, and the relevant facts await further verification by the platform.