Key Takeaways
- FBI lists Ruja Ignatova, founder of OneCoin, among the most wanted fugitives.
- Ignatova stole more than $4 billion through OneCoin from victims.
- She is also among the most wanted by Europol.
Ruja Ignatova, best known for being the founder of the international OneCoin scam, is now listed on the FBI’s Top 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list.
Founder of OneCoin Among The 10 Most Wanted Fugitives By The FBI
This was announced by the Attorney General for the Southern District of New York during a press conference held today in the morning, where the official pointed to Ignatova for having defrauded OneCoin investors, stealing more than USD $4 billion through the commercialization of a supposed cryptocurrency that never existed and without real commercial value.
Let us keep in mind that OneCoin is known as one of the biggest scams in the history of the cryptocurrency ecosystem since Ignatova and the other managers promoted the commercialization of an alleged cryptocurrency that would “dethrone Bitcoin ” through membership systems. However, investigations revealed that said currency did not have a Blockchain network, users could not exchange their tokens for fiat money, nor was there an opportunity to exchange them for other cryptocurrencies.
The OneCoin scam is known to have affected more than three million people worldwide. In addition to the commercialization of the alleged cryptocurrency, the company also operated a large-scale pyramid scheme, the main inorganic income model through which members of the platform invited new members and captured their investment, with which the members were paid by the upper floors of the pyramid.
Ignatova Fugitive from Justice
After the scam perpetrated by OneCoin fell, authorities in a large number of countries have been searching for the company’s managers and representatives. Among those already captured are lawyer Mark Scott, as well as co-founder Constantin Ignatov, brother of Ruja Ignatova.
As for Ignatova, who is of Bulgarian and German nationality, she has been on the run from the authorities since 2017. She was last seen in Greece, but her trail has since been lost. It is presumed that she would now have another identity and travel between countries with false documentation.
Ignatova is currently on Europol’s most wanted list, and the FBI is offering a reward of up to $100,000 to anyone who offers information leading to her capture.
