New trail to disappeared ‘cryptoqueen’

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Last Updated on 22 January 2026 by CryptoTips.eu

A small article in a local English newspaper went viral this week because it was linked to the infamous “crypto queen” Ruja Ignatova. She became notorious because of the OneCoin pyramid scheme, which earned her (and her partner) some $5 billion between 2014 and 2016. Until this day, Ruja remains missing. The mystery surrounding her became one of the most listened to podcasts of the past few years.

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OneCoin

Karl Greenwood co-founded the cryptocurrency Onecoin with Ruja in 2014. Both claimed that this cryptocurrency would become the new Bitcoin (when that one was still trading around $1,000) and amassed billions of dollars in this manner.

However, from the outset, it was clear that Karl and Ruja had conceived the plan to create a pyramid scheme where profit could only be made by selling more OneCoin to the next person.

The problem was that OneCoin never actually launched, and new investors constantly had to be found. When authorities worldwide learned that some 5 million people had invested in it, they opened a criminal investigation. When Ruja and Karl saw the police raiding their site, they quickly fled. Karl was arrested, and Ruja escaped.

Guernsey

The remaining $4 billion was never recovered, and Ruja remains missing to this day.

Rumors suggest she has since assumed another identity and undergone facial plastic surgery.

However, this week, a new lead surfaced when a German court investigating the OneCoin scandal seized a bank account in Guernsey. Approximately 10 million euros were stolen, which were indeed registered to Ruja Ignatova. Will the crypto queen finally be caught this year?

Jeroen Kok

Jeroen is one of the lead copywriters on Cryptotips.eu and discusses all recent events in the crypto market. This includes news updates, but also price analyzes and more. He developed his passion for cryptocurrency during the bull run in 2017. He has learned a lot since then. The combination of cryptocurrency and creative writing is perfect for Jeroen and an excellent way to share his knowledge with a wide audience. Find me on LinkedIn / jeroen@cryptotips.eu
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