Cryptocurrencies, Vulnerable Investors Are Hot Topics for Securities Regulators

AUSTIN – State securities regulation has always been something of a whack-a-mole endeavor, but today’s moles have gotten quite clever.

They promote blockchain mining with stock video footage to show teams of employees working on warehoused servers that simply don’t exist. They lay traps on social media leveraging conservative political views to bond with potential investors. One promoter even appropriated a headshot of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg from a law school publication to make it look like she was a company consultant.