Year in review

2019 in crypto failure

Every CryptoMortem record with a primary date in 2019, ordered chronologically. Affected funds across these records total roughly $2.7 billion.

• Rugpull·June 30, 2019resolved

  PlusToken Ponzi — June 2019

  A Chinese-origin Ponzi scheme that operated across China, Korea and Southeast Asia raised an estimated $2-3 billion in crypto before its founders were arrested in 2019. Subsequent Chinese government sales of seized BTC weighed on markets through 2020.

  $2.50B affected
• Exchange collapse·January 31, 2019resolved

  QuadrigaCX Collapse — January 2019

  Canada's largest crypto exchange collapsed after its 30-year-old founder Gerald Cotten was pronounced dead in India in December 2018, leaving sole access to ~$190M in customer funds. Forensic investigation later concluded the exchange had been a Ponzi scheme.

  $190.0M affected