The Prophets of Cryptocurrency Survey the Boom and Bust

Inside the ongoing argument over whether Bitcoin, Ethereum, and the blockchain are transforming the world.

The dizzying run-up in crypto prices in 2017 was followed, this year, by a long, lurching retreat that, as the summer gave way to fall, began to seem perilous. As with notorious stock-market and real-estate bubbles, innocents had been taken in and cleaned out. But both boom and bust reflected an ongoing argument over what cryptocurrencies and their technological underpinnings might be worth—which is to say, whether they are, as some like to ask, real. Is crypto the future or a fad? Golden ticket or Ponzi scheme? Amazon 2.0 or tulip mania? And what is it good for, anyway? read more »

SEC Calls for Better Accounting Controls as Cyber Scams Increase

Business email compromises are responsible for more than $5 billion in losses since 2013, regulator says

Public companies that are easy targets of cyber scams could be in violation of accounting rules that call for firms to safeguard assets, the Securities and Exchange Commission said Tuesday.

The SEC said in an investigative report that nine public companies wired nearly $100 million to hackers who impersonated corporate executives or vendors using emails. One company made 14 wire payments to a hacker, resulting in more than $45 million in losses, the SEC said. read more »

Dallas Physicians and Nurses Sentenced to Prison for Role in $11 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

Two Dallas doctors and three nurses were sentenced yesterday in an $11.3 million Medicare fraud scheme involving false and fraudulent claims for home health services. read more »