BlockDAG raised funds from thousands of investors worldwide, with its website claiming $442 million while its CEO says closer to $200 million was collected.
An Australian-based investor, identified as Adam, said he invested nearly $25,000 after being drawn in by heavy marketing and high-profile sponsorships.
“You just bought into it. You join these online communities. We’re all excited and talking about BlockDAG and the potential,”
Adam said.
Investors were promised specialised mining hardware, listings on more than 20 exchanges, and fixed allocations of BDAG tokens.
Many investors say mining equipment has not been delivered, token allocations were diluted, and exchange listings fell short of expectations.
Documents reviewed indicate that more than $110 million in presale funds were sent to accounts on major crypto exchanges.
Additional funds were routed through decentralised finance protocols, leaving investors unclear about where the money is held.
“A blockchain project should be utilising the blockchain with raised funds being stored in an auditable smart contract,”
Fabrizio Giabardo said.
Former employees claim salaries remain unpaid, with one ex-staff member saying more than $140,000 is owed to workers.
Several football clubs, including Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund, reportedly terminated sponsorships over alleged non-payment.
BlockDAG’s leadership has declined to provide detailed disclosures, citing concerns about creating unnecessary noise during execution.
Founder Gurhan Kiziloz later confirmed his role publicly, defending the project and blaming setbacks on internal issues.
Community members are now sharing guidance on filing complaints with regulators in multiple jurisdictions.
At the time of reporting, Big Eyes price was $0.062591.