In this issue:

• This Week in Neo Tokyo: Another Week Bytes the Dust (by PhoenixxDown)

• Fink’s Blockchain Vision (by mhl.eth)

• Phishing Scams: A Quick Look (by Crossfitterdad)

This week, we extend a warm welcome to Avarik Saga as they officially become citizens, joining the esteemed ranks of recent founders and projects who came before them. Rumor has it that Vidar and Brighty are overjoyed with this new addition. IYKYK.

This past Monday saw the announcement of a partnership between The Citadel and the all-in-one gaming platform, QORP. What does this mean for citizens? We get our very own playable character in the form of Haji’s 3rd Hand, and NT themed helmet loot boxes that are payable with $BYTES. Read in full here.

Our most recent NFT Market Monday episode featured special guests, Mainnetz, who gave us the low-down on what their very exciting L1 is all about. If you’re strapped for time and don’t have the chance to listen back to the show, we dropped a thread that you can peruse here.

Meanwhile, the AMA team hosted MixMob, a unique card strategy and racing game built on Solana, for an X Space discussion. Ben and Cryptoetheus also played host later in the week to OG Citizen, Matt Steffanina, on Episode 12 of Interlinked.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the Neo Tokyo Vision YouTube channel where you’ll find all our future content, plus the new addition of NT AMAs. Check out the first one here and learn all about Jeff Treves’ BirthMark.

CitCap revealed a mystery investment opportunity….but we’re not allowed to disclose it publicly. So to find out what it is, visit the CitCap-Announcements channel for all the details. You don’t have long to get ready for it.

Lastly, spend your evening tonight with Firestorm and KyleWilson as they dominate Shrapnel’s playtest live on the NT twitch channel. If watching those two FSU wasn’t enticing enough, Shrapnel have kindly given them Extraction Packs to give away to all those who tune in!

And with that, another week bytes the dust. Until next week, citizens.

If you have some significant news you’d like us to note in our newsletter, be sure to drop us a tip in the News Chat over in the NT Discord’s News Division.

On January 10th, after a long wait from crypto users and institutions seeking to leverage its benefits, the SEC approved eleven Bitcoin Spot ETFs but Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, is already taking the "next step" by proposing the tokenization of financial assets. In an interview with Bloomberg, Fink suggested that introducing tokenization would bring transparency to traditional finance through a public ledger.

One of the positive aspects of tokenizing financial assets, as Fink highlighted, is improved governance and transaction speed. Token holders would have the ability to vote with their assets at any time, fostering a more active market. Tokenization also enables faster transactions, especially in markets that operate 24/7, unless assets are tokenized on private chains with specific rules.

Back in 2017, I speculated with my crypto buddies about the possibility of tokenizing real-world assets. While my idea of tokenizing trees and earning revenue based on fruit collection might not be very practical, it laid the foundation for the concept for me. I look forward to a future where financial assets, collectibles, real estate, luxury assets (such as those offered by galileoprotocol.io), and more are tokenized and shared on a public ledger for verification by everyone.

Furthermore, tokenization has the potential to benefit numerous industries, such as healthcare, media sharing, e-commerce, and retail, among others. The possibilities are truly limitless, limited only by our imagination. However, scalability must be taken into consideration when tokenizing assets, as we do not need to tokenize everything. Therefore, I suggest implementing tokenization specifically for assets that require listing on a transparent ledger to prevent corruption, forgery, and theft.

In cryptocurrency we MUST be vigilant. The allure of quick gains is often accompanied by the lurking threat of phishing scams. These scams, designed to trick users into revealing sensitive information, are everywhere.

In this short guide, we'll take a look at some common tactics employed by scammers and provide simple steps to keep your digital assets safe. This is by no means a comprehensive guide. This article can be used as a start for your own research in an effort to stay vigilant.

Common Phishing Tactics

Here, we will look at 3 common types of phishing scams; fake websites, email scams, and social engineering.

Fake websites are often created by scammers. These sites can be VERY convincing replicas of legitimate cryptocurrency exchange sites. They may have URLs that closely mimic the real ones, but if you look closely they are not the same. Always double-check the website's address and ensure it's secure (look for "https://" and a padlock icon).

A lot of times, these sites can appear in a Google search as one of the first few results. Always double check the site you are on, and before logging in or entering any information, carefully examine the website's URL.

Emails are another common tactic. Be wary of unsolicited emails claiming to be from cryptocurrency sites/exchanges or wallet providers. These emails may prompt you to click on links, leading to phishing sites. How many times have you received a MetaMask email saying your account is “Frozen?” Ever look at the extension of that email? This can be a common tell the email is fake. For example, an email claiming to be Amazon support and your account has been hacked, but when you look at the email it is [email protected]. Always check what’s after the @ symbol.

If you receive an unexpected email requesting personal information or urgent action, don't click on any links. Instead, independently verify the sender's legitimacy through official channels.

Social engineering is where scammers may impersonate trustworthy individuals or support staff, tricking users into sharing confidential information. The person may offer some kind of help in a telegram chat, discord chat, etc to establish “trust” with you. Not long after is when you will be asked for some form of confidential information.

Whether via email, social media, or messaging apps, be cautious when receiving unexpected messages. Legitimate service providers won't ask for sensitive information out of the blue. Stay vigilant and verify the identity of anyone requesting sensitive details.

3 Simple Ways to Protect Yourself

1. Consider using hardware wallets for storing your cryptocurrency. These physical devices provide an extra layer of security by keeping your private keys offline.

2. Strengthen your account security by enabling 2FA wherever possible. This adds an extra verification step, making it harder for unauthorized users to access your accounts.

3. Guard your private keys. Treat your private keys like the keys to a safe. Never share them, and store them in a secure location. Anyone with access to your private keys has control over your funds.

As crypto evolves, so do the tactics of malicious actors. Staying informed and adopting a cautious approach can be your strongest defense. Remember, it only takes a moment of negligence to fall victim to a phishing scam. Stay safe, stay vigilant.

All content from Neo Tokyo News is for entertainment purposes only, and not financial advice.

That’s it for our 31st edition of the Neo Tokyo Newsletter. Be sure to subscribe and share with your friends so you don’t miss out on future content.

Make sure to also follow Neo Tokyo News on Twitter.

And check out our Neo Tokyo News Website.