Well, here’s a bit of news that certainly got folks talking. Vladimir Smerkis, one of the guys who helped start Blum, that popular little crypto game you might be tapping away at on Telegram, was picked up by the police in Moscow. The word going around is that it’s about some serious fraud charges. Large scale fraud, they say, though the official paperwork hasn’t spilled all the beans just yet.
- Vladimir Smerkis, a co-founder of the crypto game Blum, was arrested in Moscow on suspicion of fraud. This has caused concern among users of the platform.
- Blum quickly distanced itself from Smerkis after the arrest, stating he was no longer involved in the project. The company is trying to reassure users.
- The arrest has raised questions about the future of Blum’s promised airdrop, leaving users uncertain about their potential earnings. The airdrop is scheduled for Q2 2025.
Now, Smerkis isn’t exactly new to the crypto scene. He used to be the main man for Binance over in Russia and that whole CIS region. So, he knows his way around this stuff, or at least, he did. TASS, a local news outfit, reported he was arrested on Friday by the Zamoskvoretsky District Court. Police told them it was part of a criminal case. You know, the kind that sounds pretty big.
Some whispers suggest this whole thing might tie back to some earlier projects Smerkis was involved with. Things like The Token Fund and Tokenbox. They apparently raised a good chunk of change back in the day. But, like a lot of old crypto ventures, they seem to have just sort of… faded away. Poof. Gone into that digital mist where forgotten tokens go to rest.
Blum, bless their hearts, moved pretty fast once the news broke. You could almost hear the digital scrambling. They hopped onto their X account pretty quick to put some distance between themselves and Smerkis. Said he’d stepped down from his CMO job and wasn’t involved with the project anymore. Not as a co-founder, not in development, nada. Just like that.
Vladimir Smerkis has stepped down from his role as CMO and is no longer involved in the development of the project or in any co-founder capacity.
https://x.com/blumcrypto/status/1923800818798449140
It makes sense, I suppose. When someone tied to your project gets arrested for something serious, you probably want to make it clear they’re not calling the shots anymore. It’s just good business, or maybe just trying to keep the boat from rocking too hard. Especially when your project is built around getting people to tap their phone screens for points.
Blum itself got a little boost early on from Binance Labs. They were part of this program called Most Valuable Builder. Sounds fancy, doesn’t it? Like they were handpicked for greatness. They launched this “Drop Game” back in May of 2024. The whole idea is you tap falling snowflakes on your phone. Each tap gets you “Blum Points.” Simple enough, right? Like a digital carnival game, but instead of a stuffed animal, you hope for crypto.
The big promise? An airdrop. That’s where those points you’ve been tapping away for turn into actual tokens. The kind you might be able to trade or sell. People love airdrops. It feels like free money, even though you usually have to put in some work, like tapping snowflakes until your fingers ache. Or maybe that’s just me.
But, you know how these things go sometimes. Promises are made, and then… delays. The airdrop didn’t happen right away. Then they started talking about more “seasons” for the game. More tapping, more waiting. Users are still hanging around, patiently (or maybe not so patiently) waiting for the token generation event (TGE). That’s the moment the points become real tokens. It’s like waiting for Christmas morning, but you’re not sure which year it’s coming.
The Drop Game itself actually wrapped up on May 14th. Blum has been dropping hints, teasing that airdrop. They’ve even put a date on it now, or at least a timeframe: sometime in the second quarter of 2025. That’s still a ways off, isn’t it? Plenty of time for things to happen. And well, something certainly did happen.
The arrest of Smerkis has definitely rattled some cages. You can see it on social media. Users are starting to wonder. Will the airdrop actually happen now? Is this whole thing going to just… disappear? It’s a fair question, isn’t it? When a co-founder gets arrested on fraud charges, it tends to make people a little nervous about the future of the project they’ve invested time (and finger strength) into.
Blum put out another message after the first one, trying to smooth things over. They said, “We thank Vladimir for his contribution to the project and wish him the best in his future endeavors.” That sounds like something you’d read on a corporate memo when someone leaves under… interesting circumstances. It’s polite, I guess. Wish him the best. Sure.
We thank Vladimir for his contribution to the project and wish him the best in his future endeavors. Our team remains fully committed and focused on our goals, and day-to-day operations continue as usual.
https://x.com/blumcrypto/status/1923800820736270793
They also added that the team is still “fully committed and focused” and that “day-to-day operations continue as usual.” Which, again, is what you’d expect them to say. Keep calm and carry on, even when a co-founder is facing serious charges. It’s a tough spot to be in, for sure. For the team, and definitely for the users who are still waiting for those snowflake taps to pay off.
So, there you have it. A co-founder arrested, a project trying to distance itself, and a whole lot of users wondering about that promised airdrop. It’s another day in the wild world of crypto, I suppose. Never a dull moment, even if it’s not the kind of excitement you were hoping for when you started tapping those snowflakes.
