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The Vatican Bank has firmly denied any association with a fraudulent crypto initiative falsely branded as the “Vatican Chamber of Trade,” which has been promoting fake memberships and token sales.
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This scam project, featuring the counterfeit Vatican Chamber Token (VCT), has been using sophisticated phishing tactics, including the unauthorized use of the Vatican Bank’s real contact information to deceive potential investors.
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According to a Vatican Bank spokesperson cited by COINOTAG, the organization categorically rejects any affiliation with the scheme, labeling it a clear scam designed to exploit unsuspecting individuals.
Vatican Bank disavows fake crypto project “Vatican Chamber of Trade” and its fraudulent Vatican Chamber Token (VCT) amid growing phishing scams.
Vatican Chamber of Trade Scam Token Exposed: A Closer Look at the Fraudulent Claims
The so-called Vatican Chamber of Trade scam promised exclusive benefits to its members, including private investor introductions, custodial asset holding, and priority access to tokenized asset offerings. The project’s website claimed that membership would confer “recognition and credibility” within an elite economic institution, a claim that is entirely fabricated.
The fake token, Vatican Chamber Token (VCT), was marketed with a total supply of 10 million tokens priced at 25 euros each, with a circulating supply of 7 million tokens. Nearly one-third of the tokens were supposedly reserved for future development and operational stability. However, these figures are part of the elaborate deception designed to lure investors into a false sense of security.
Phishing Tactics and Website Sophistication
The scam’s website went to great lengths to appear legitimate, even incorporating the Vatican Bank’s real phone number to enhance credibility. Additionally, a suspicious edit was made to the Vatican Bank’s Wikipedia page, inserting a link to the fraudulent project’s creation date, which was quickly flagged as vandalism due to lack of sourcing.
Further complicating the scam’s facade, the “buy token” button redirected users to a Coinbase wallet page, though the URL originated from a suspicious subdomain (vaticantrade.cb.id) linked to a now-deleted page. This misuse of Coinbase’s Ethereum Name Service (ENS) integration highlights the evolving tactics scammers employ to exploit trusted platforms.
