⚔️ $ZEC: The Decentralized Divorce

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Welcome back! 📉 CryptoQuant CEO warns liquidity is rotating into stocks & gold, leaving $BTC ( ▼ 0.64% ) in a "boring" sideways grind. While a massive -50% crash is unlikely this cycle, alts are set to bleed as we chop. Patience is your best edge right now 🛡️.

Here’s what we got for you today:

• 👀 Why the US really took Venezuela?

• ⭐ Don't let your MetaMask get rugged

• ⭐ Is the privacy king dead?

• 🔥 Burning hot takes for the road

The US military just executed a surgical operation to remove Maduro in under 3 hours. But if you think this was just about cheap gas or politics, you are missing the massive shift in global strategy that just occurred. We need to understand the real money game:

• Venezuela wasn't just a rogue state; it was a critical "Geopolitical Node" for US adversaries.

• Venezuela holds 303 billion barrels of reserves (more than Saudi Arabia), yet oil prices barely moved.

• While crude prices stay flat, US energy stocks are ripping. We analyze who the real winners of this regime change are and what it means for the 2026 market outlook.

💀 METAMASK’S FAKE 2FA SCAM IS WIPING OUT EVEN PRO USERS

The scam game just evolved, and the bad actors aren't trying to hack the blockchain anymore, they are hacking you.

Instead of breaking tech, scammers are now breaking psychology. Clean UI. Perfect wording. Fake “security upgrades.” Fake 2FA flows. Everything looks legit, especially to users who already know the basics.

Earlier this year, a coordinated phishing campaign drained hundreds of MetaMask wallets, with total losses topping $107,000. Most wallets lost under $2,000 each, which is why many victims didn’t even realize what happened until it was too late.

🧠 How the scam actually works

SlowMist (one of the most reputable blockchain security firms today) flagged this as a fake 2FA verification attack. Victims are lured via:

• Fake MetaMask emails

• Popups while browsing

• Links dropped in Discord, Telegram, or X

Clicking the link takes you to a near-perfect clone of MetaMask. Same colors. Same layout. Same tone. The domain is off by just a few characters, easy to miss 😬.

Then comes the trap. A fake “2FA security check” appears, complete with countdown timers and warning messages. Urgency kicks in. Logic shuts off.

Finally, the site asks for your seed phrase under the excuse of “verification” or “wallet recovery.”

Once that’s entered? Game over. The wallet is no longer yours. Let me be crystal clear:

👉 MetaMask will NEVER ask for your seed phrase. Ever.

Not for upgrades. Not for support. Not for security.

🚩 Red flags you must remember

• Emails that look official but come from sketchy domains

• Messages creating panic (“verify now or lose access”)

• Slightly misspelled URLs

• Any request for seed phrase or private keys

If you think you interacted with one of these:

• Just visited the site? You’re probably safe. Close everything and don’t go back.

• Approved a contract? Revoke approvals immediately (MetaMask Portfolio / revoke tools).

• Entered your seed phrase? That wallet is compromised. Create a new one and move funds ASAP.

Stay sharp out there. Your paranoia is your best security feature.

Business news worth its weight in gold

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That’s what Morning Brew delivers every day — stories as valuable as your time. Each edition breaks down the most relevant business, finance, and world headlines into sharp, engaging insights you’ll actually understand — and feel confident talking about.

It’s quick. It’s witty. And unlike most news, it’ll never bore you to tears. Start your mornings smarter and join over 4 million people reading Morning Brew for free.

Check it out

🛡️ ZCASH CIVIL WAR: DEVS WALK OUT, PRICE DUMPS. IS $ZEC DEAD?

If you are holding Zcash ($ZEC ( ▲ 7.47% ) ) bags, you might want to sit down for this one.

The "Privacy Coin King" is taking a beating, down 10% this week and slipping below the psychological $500 mark. But this isn't just normal market chop; there is a full-blown civil war happening in the boardroom.

Josh Swihart, the CEO of Electric Coin Co. (ECC) - the guys who basically built Zcash - dropped a bombshell. He announced that he and the entire ECC team have split from "Bootstrap," the nonprofit that was supposed to fund them.

He didn't mince words, claiming the team was "constructively discharged." → They were pushed out.

The vibe became so toxic that they had to leave to protect the mission. The Good News? They aren't rage-quitting Zcash. They are forming a new company to keep building "unstoppable private money." The protocol itself is fine, but governance uncertainty is kryptonite for token price.

📉 Is it the time for you to "Buy the Dip"?

Despite price dumping, the Funding Rate is POSITIVE. 🚨

→ Traders are aggressively longing this drop. They are betting this is the bottom and paying a premium to keep their positions open.

→ The Risk: This is a classic setup for a Long Squeeze. If $ZEC ( ▲ 7.47% ) slips just a little further (breaking support at $448), all those over-leveraged longs will get liquidated instantly. That selling pressure forces the price down harder, triggering more liquidations. It’s a domino effect that could send us straight to $405 or even the $300 zone.

My Personal Take

I’ve seen this movie before. Governance drama usually marks a local bottom eventually, but the immediate aftermath is pure volatility. Technically, ZEC is painting a nasty bearish crossover on the MACD. It’s trying to catch a falling knife right now.

Zcash is an OG. It survived the Bear Market, and it will likely survive this boardroom brawl. But until the dust settles and that funding rate resets (meaning the greedy longs get flushed out), I’m sitting on my hands.

→ Support to watch: $448. If we lose that, it’s going to get ugly before it gets pretty. Stay safe, anon.

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🔥 BURNING HOT TAKES FOR THE ROAD

WLFI is reportedly seeking a U.S. bank charter to bring its $1 stablecoin onshore and integrate DeFi into the national banking system. Read more

Vitalik Buterin just reaffirmed $ETH ( ▼ 1.75% ) ’s goal: becoming the core infrastructure of the global financial system. Read more

Alleged scam kingpin Chen Zhi was extradited to China today after his arrest in Cambodia for massive international fraud operations. Read more

Solana Mobile will launch the $SKR ( ▲ 10.42% ) token for its Seeker phone on Jan 21, pushing hardware-driven Web3 adoption. Read more

🤡 SPICY MEME

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⚠ This newsletter is for informational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice. Traders should conduct thorough research, understand the risks, and carefully evaluate their decisions before investing in cryptocurrency.