Scammer Loses $4.8M Stored on Tampered Ledgers: Asia Express

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Ledger Network Suspension in Asia and Europe":"Ledger, a popular hardware wallet manufacturer, suspended its reseller network across South East Asia this week after thieves stole more than $103.4 million from 530 addresses via tampered Ledgers inserted into the supply chain. In Europe, Ledger reported that the thefts were from Asia, and the company asked resellers in Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Hong Kong to remove Ledgers from sale. The Ledger network was also suspended in Europe due to the thefts, with electronics retailer MediaMarkt suspending sales of Ledger devices. In contrast, no reports of tampered Trezors were made, and Trezor decided to shutter some of the more far-flung resellers in its network from January 1st. The Atom, Ledger's latest device, combines a crypto wallet with Android apps and includes protections against the implants used in the Asian thefts.","

Task Scam and Potential Scamming of Victims":"The scammer had operated a 'task scam' where people were paid to fake sales and reviews of real items. Depending on how much they knew, their victims in turn may not have been entirely honest either. The scammer lost 60 Bitcoin, worth about $4.8 million, from three newly purchased Ledgers containing spyware that records seed phrases. The Ledger thieves drained all three of their funds into the same wallet. A 'negative balance' appeared, and they were told to add their own money in order to get paid, according to Chainalysis.","

South Korea's Measures Against Crypto Exchanges":"South Korea has approved measures to block domestic access to 27 websites operated by unregistered crypto exchanges and other virtual asset service providers, including KuCoin, MEXC, Phemex, and Bitrue. The Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) said in a statement that this decision will also apply to internet websites, following apps such as those on Apple and Google. The list also includes CoinW, BTCC, BitMart, BingX, DigiFinex, and others. South Korea plans to overhaul its cybersecurity requirements for financial institutions after an investigation found some big holes in the industry."}