Strange, but true: 5 outlandish and weird crypto stories of 2024

As a seasoned observer of the ever-evolving world of cryptocurrency and technology, I find myself constantly astounded by the myriad of events that unfold within this realm. The year 2024 was no exception, with its share of both the mundane and the downright bizarre.

2024 could very well stand out as a pivotal year for cryptocurrencies, marked by the debut of Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) exchange-traded funds in the U.S., and increased backing from previously doubtful politicians. However, it’s important to remember that the unconventional and eccentric landscape of crypto continues to exist.

Here are some of the craziest crypto stories from 2024.

The FBI created its own shitcoin

In May, the U.S. FBI devised a fictitious digital token related to artificial intelligence as a tactic to apprehend individuals involved in manipulative activities within the market.

The “decoy token,” NexFundAI (NEXF), is a tool specifically created to lure individuals involved in illicit cryptocurrency practices, primarily focusing on pump-and-dump scams.

Under a false identity, the FBI posed as swindlers and approached traders, asking them to collaborate in artificially inflating NEXF’s trading volume. The goal was to mislead investors into thinking that NEXF was more widely adopted than it actually was.

At least 18 people have been charged from the FBI’s sting operation.

It’s possible that the FBI violated copyright laws because they didn’t obtain a license for the source code they utilized, according to Charlyn Ho, the managing partner at Rikka Law, as reported by CryptoMoon.

However, it’s likely that the FBI would not find it troubling if a legal action were initiated against them, given that the MIT license they utilized is intended to provide a wide range of users with extensive permissions to utilize the software.

TruthorDare dev sets himself on fire

There’s a reason why crazy stunts are best left to the professionals.

During an unfortunate turn of events on a live stream on May 22nd, the creator of TruthOrDare (DARE) memecoin, named Mikol, convinced his friends to pour rubbing alcohol over him and ignite fireworks near him, all in an attempt to draw attention towards his memecoin.

In my analysis, the outcome left me with severe third-degree burns on my face and body, requiring extended hospital stays, and accumulating a substantial medical expense.

During the live broadcast, things rapidly became disorderly once Mikol was struck by a flurry of fireworks, causing him to catch fire while emitting cries of agony. At this point, another individual urged the camera operator to cease filming and instead offer aid instead.

It’s hard to believe that DEV just set himself on fire and his coin only has a market cap of 160k?! He’s currently in the hospital and can be found in our Telegram voice chat. Keep supporting $DARE, it’s the realest on the blockchain! (HMGTHjie38diyPjEUWC5fgf8xsYfgFoRJfDCs37iDxtP)

— Meags.eth (@DogeGirl420) May 22, 2024

As a researcher, I noticed an intriguing event that significantly impacted the market cap of DARE. A stunt somehow managed to pique the interest of memecoin traders, causing the market cap to surge above $370,000 within just a few hours, as evidenced by DEX Screener data. The price peaked at around $450,000 approximately two weeks later, but since then it has plummeted, dipping below $50,000.

Over $3,000 was raised from an apparent GoFundMe fundraiser to assist Mikol with his medical bill.

Mikol has announced that he will no longer do TruthOrDare challenges associated with meme coins, as he’s now concentrating on personal development and deepening his connection with God.

On October 4th, Mikol wrote to X, “I simply want to climb out of the tough times, just like you, and find happiness and success.

“I just wanna be consistent with god and be a positive human being with an outgoing personality that puts smiles on peoples faces. Life gon hit you hard but lords know i’ll never give up.”

13-year-old rug pulls on livestream, but traders get last laugh

In simple terms, the Solana-based meme coin called Gen Z Quant (QUANT) rapidly increased in value and reached a market capitalization of $70 million soon after its young 13-year-old creator appeared to abandon or “rug pull” the token during a live broadcast on Pump.fun.

The school kid sold all his 51 million QUANT tokens live for around $30,000 while celebrating on Nov. 20 as the token plummeted.

But other traders had the last laugh, bringing the token back from the dead and profiting massively from a near 77,000% price pump while the 13-year-old was left with his comparatively measly fortune.

This Kid creates and rugs $QUANT for $30k while live streaming the whole thing 😂😳

— Gordon (@AltcoinGordon) November 20, 2024

One trader made a 2,141x return worth nearly $1 million on their QUANT investment.

On November 21st, QUANT reached an all-time high of $0.08 and boasted a market capitalization exceeding $70 million. However, as the initial excitement subsided, its value dropped significantly, dipping below $1 million according to DEXScreener data.

It didn’t end there.

After that, the child invented a new coin named “Sorry” and supposedly discarded these coins too, earning more than $20,000 in the process.

Tron’s Justin Sun eats a $6 million banana taped to a wall

In November, the creator of Tron, Justin Sun, spent $6.2 million at an auction held in New York on a unique artwork: a banana stuck to a wall. Interestingly, this edible masterpiece is now part of his diet.

Sun posted on X on November 21st that they had purchased a banana. This isn’t simply art; it symbolizes a cultural occurrence linking the realms of art, internet humor (memes), and the crypto world.

On November 29th, Sun removed the peel from a banana and tasted it for the first time with spectators present, discovering that its flavor was quite distinct.

“To be honest, for a banana with such a back story, the taste is naturally different from an ordinary one.”

Quite a few folks have inquired about the flavor of the banana. To tell the truth, given its unique background, the taste deviates slightly from that of an average one. It seems to evoke a faint reminder of what Big Mike bananas, as they were 100 years ago, might have tasted like. 🍌

— H.E. Justin Sun 🍌 (@justinsuntron) November 29, 2024

French baguettes or Monero: Hackers leave Schneider Electric with two options

The criminal group known as Hellcat demonstrated a playful approach when they infiltrated Schneider Electric in November and demanded a ransom payment of either $125,000 worth of Monero (XMR) cryptocurrency or an equivalent amount in French bread loaves, valued at $125,000.

To ensure the removal of this data and prevent its disclosure, we need a payment of $125,000 USD in the form of Baguettes,” said Hellcat, as shown in a screenshot taken by Cyberscoop from his Tor-hosted site, which is now unavailable.

“Failure to meet this demand will result in the dissemination of the compromised information.”

However, later, Hellcat apparently asked to be paid in the privacy-focused Monero coin, the currency that Picus Security researcher Hüseyin Can Yuceel said Hellcat likely actually wanted to be paid in.

In simple terms, “Ransomware operates like a business,” suggested Can Yuceel in an article for Forbes on November 6th. “The unusual ‘baguette demand’ can be seen as a promotional tactic.

[Hellcat is attempting] to gain recognition and build trust among potential future victims and allies, with the aim of launching a ransomware service in the future,” according to Yuceel’s statement.

Schneider Electric didn’t respond to questions from CryptoMoon about whether it paid the ransom.

Other crazy things that happened in 2024

A crypto user fat-fingered a whopping $90,000 fee for a $2,000 Ether (ETH) transfer, while many people in crypto took their beef from X to the boxing ring.

One of the more high-profile matches was with Ben “BitBoy” Armstrong, who beat “More Light” — the creator behind the HarryPotterObamaSonic10Inu memecoin — in February. He then fought another crypto influencer, Ansem, on Dec. 6 in Dubai, with the match ending in a draw.

Kain Warwick, the founder of Infinex, and David Hoffmann, one of the owners of Bankless, engaged in a dispute, with Hoffmann ultimately prevailing by a consensus verdict.

2024-12-24 15:51