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www.wired.com/v2/offers/wi...

Millions of memecoins flooded the market last year. In search of riches, coin creators began to take ever more outlandish, dangerous, and degrading measures to attract attention.

Here, I spoke to a dad whose child made $50,000 in minutes dumping coins he created:

www.wired.com/story/memeco...

Here’s my story about a cash-strapped town in rural Texas, where a company building the world’s largest bitcoin mine clashed with local protesters who wanted nothing to do with it:

www.wired.com/story/the-wo...

Earlier in the year, I spent ten days competing in Crypto: The Game, a winner-takes-all contest where hundreds of players try to finesse and backstab their way to claiming a $140,000 cryptocurrency prize.

Spoiler: I didn’t win.

www.wired.com/story/crypto...

In May, Donald Trump hosted a private gala dinner for the largest holders of his personal crypto coin, some of whom had paid millions of dollars to be there.

I’ll let you to decide whether they received value for money…

www.wired.com/story/a-heli...

I contacted my editor, managers, and security personnel at WIRED to explain what had happened—and to ask for help. I messaged my partner too. She responded, “Oh fuuuuuck!!!”

An anonymous user on Telegram had left an even more overtly threatening message: "im scraping extensive information on you, including your address, relatives, friends from [my alma mater] UCL and more,” they said. “I will make sure your life is hell if i dont receive my refund.”

On X, I discovered a barrage of colourful abuse directed at my account. “I’m surprised people don’t come to your work and smash you up maggot,” one X user wrote. “I hope a car crashes n2 you,” said somebody else.

As people purchased the fraudulent WIRED coin, the price began to rise. Then the scammer sold their stash, wiping out investors. The people who lost money were pissed.

Thanks!

Congrats and welcome aboard!

Thank you to everyone who amplified this post. I have now recovered access to the account. I plan to sit on the username, but don't intend to post to X in future.