Scammers Pose as EU Regulators to Prey on MiCA Deadline Fallout
Fraudsters are exploiting the EU crypto licensing shakeout by impersonating regulators and exchanges to steal funds from customers of firms that missed the July 1 MiCA deadline. Unlicensed companies must now stop operating and tell customers to withdraw or transfer assets, creating pressure to move money quickly. Regulators in France, the EU, and the Netherlands have warned of scams using fake staff identities, forged documents, and cloned websites, and advise checking any transfer request against official channels. France’s AMF has avoided creating artificial urgency, saying rushed moves increase scam risk. MiCA now provides a single EU-wide authorization regime; licensed firms include Coinbase, Kraken, and OKX, while Binance remains unlicensed. Crypto scam losses reached an estimated $17 billion last year, with impersonation among the fastest-growing fraud types.
