Key Highlights
- Noman Saleem was sentenced to 15 months in prison for a fake crypto influencer scam that stole over $1.4 million from investors.
- He used Telegram and fake influencer identities to promote false crypto staking plans and convince people to send him cryptocurrency.
- Authorities said the scam exploited real crypto staking concepts, where users expected 5%–20% returns, but no actual investing or staking ever happened.
A New York man, Noman Saleem, has been sentenced in federal court for running a crypto scam in which he pretended to be well-known crypto influencers and tricked people into sending him digital assets.
According to the official release, the scam operated between December 2020 and March 2021 and resulted in more than $1.4 million being stolen. U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Saleem to 15 months in prison and ordered three years of supervised release after his time.
How Saleem scammed his victims
Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland said Saleem built fake online identities on Telegram using the names of known crypto influencers to gain trust.
He operated public channels that attracted thousands of users and set up VIP groups where people had to pay between $500 and $600 in crypto to join. Inside these groups, he promoted so-called staking programs that promised returns of 30- to 90-day, claiming that higher deposits would bring higher profits.
Victims subsequently transferred cryptocurrency to wallet addresses controlled by Saleem. Authorities said that after receiving the funds, he often stopped responding to victims and retained the assets.
Investigators confirmed that no real investment or staking ever happened. The money simply went into wallets he owned. In total, he collected at least $1,415,067.14 before authorities stepped in and recovered part of the stolen funds through seizures.
Staking concept used to support fraud
Authorities noted that crypto staking is actually a real process where people lock their coins in a blockchain system and earn rewards, usually between 5% and 20%. Prosecutors said Saleem exploited this concept by falsely presenting his scheme as a legitimate staking opportunity.
He worked hard to build trust online. By copying influencer names and running VIP chats, he made people feel like they were getting special access to expert advice. That trust was what allowed the scam to grow quickly. Many victims believed they were dealing with real crypto experts, not a fraudster.
Wider crackdown on crypto fraud
The case is part of a broader law enforcement effort targeting crypto-related fraud schemes. Earlier this month, 47-year-old Geoffrey K. Auyeung of Washington was sentenced to five years in prison for helping move nearly $100 million tied to investment fraud operations.
According to prosecutors, Auyeung used fraudulent oil and gas investment companies and moved funds through multiple bank accounts and cryptocurrency exchanges. Between 2022 and 2024, those accounts reportedly received approximately $97.1 million linked to the scheme.
Also Read: Indian Police Arrests Engineer in ₹19 Lakh WinProFX Scam Spanning 100 Countries
