15 months for fake staking: New York resident impersonated crypto influencers
The crypto industry has once again received a stark lesson: trusting big names on social media can be costly. A U.S. federal court sentenced 39-year-old Noman Salim from Queens and Levittown to 15 months in prison for fraud involving the impersonation of well-known crypto influencers. In addition to the prison term, Judge Deborah C. Chasanu imposed three years of supervised release.
The scheme, which operated from December 2020 to March 2021, was cynically simple and effective. Salim copied the usernames of popular figures in the crypto community on Telegram, creating fake public channels that attracted thousands of subscribers. He then launched paid VIP chats, access to which cost between $500 and $600 in cryptocurrency. Victims believed they were communicating directly with the real influencer.
The fraudster did not stop with one account. He repeated the trick with a second well-known username, significantly expanding his audience. Inside the closed groups, he offered investment contracts for staking with fixed returns over periods of 30 to 90 days, promising higher payouts for large deposits. Of course, there were no real investments — Salim simply pocketed all incoming funds.
Victims transferred cryptocurrency to wallets controlled by the fraudster. Once the assets were under his control, Salim cut off all contact and disappeared. According to the investigation, the scheme caused at least $1.4 million in damages, both in cryptocurrency and fiat dollars. Prosecutors noted that Salim returned most of this amount to the state as part of a plea deal.
Salim pleaded guilty in September 2025. This sentence is an important precedent, demonstrating that U.S. law enforcement actively pursues fraudsters, even if they hide behind the anonymity of crypto wallets and fake accounts.
Cryptalist Analysis: This case is a classic example of "social engineering" in cryptocurrencies. Investors must learn a hard rule: no VIP chats or "guaranteed" staking returns from strangers on Telegram are legitimate. Trust only verified, official project channels and never transfer funds to third-party wallets via links from dubious sources. Vigilance is the only defense against such schemes.