Air coins + lock-up price control—same old recipe. Even with a different metaverse disguise, people still fall for it. A 10-year sentence is considered lenient.

Zhejiang Taizhou Cyber Police reported a scam case using the guise of the Metaverse and virtual currency. The gang promoted face recognition payment devices to attract traffic, then induced investors to buy their self-issued "air coins," and continued to extract money through locking positions, price control, and currency exchange methods, involving over 130 investors and approximately 35 million yuan. The court determined that the criminal purpose was clear, and the amount involved was particularly large, sentencing the defendant to 10 years in prison and a fine of 200k yuan.