Abstract:
This article explores Rug Pull issues, a crime on Decentralized Finance (DeFi), analyzes Rug Pull schemes and factors that have emerged, and includes suggestions on how to prevent them from emerging. This qualitative study was conducted with 16 key informants from government agencies, business units, and representatives of digital asset investors using in-depth interviews, netnography, and documentary study. It was found that Rug Pull, a scam in which the developers or creators start a cryptocurrency project and hype it to attract investors. Then, they suddenly stop working on the project and vanish with the funds, abandoning the holders with a worthless digital asset. The study of the problems of Rug Pull thus caused four key problems: 1) Globalization, which provides enthusiastic support Peer-to-peer worldwide transfers without centralized control. Anonymity is the agreement between two parties to exchange digital assets for goods or services without the participation of a third party. 2) Risk Society, an effect of the emergence of complicated, new technology. The main mechanism for controlling various conditions was smart contracts. 3) Legally, in many jurisdictions, trading or issuing promotions on DeFi platforms could be considered non-compliant. They bring up risks that the current regulations might not address, and 4) International Cooperation, Lack of a procedure for transmitting or receiving essential information that will be utilized to identify offenders. There are three main types of Rug Pull: Liquidity Stealing, Pump-and-Dump, and Limiting sell orders. There were three key factors affecting Rug Pull utilizing Routine Activity Theory: 1) Potential Offender, 2) Digital Asset Investor, and 3) The Absence of Guardians Capable. Lastly, clear and enforceable regulations relating to digital assets are an effective approach to preventing Rug Pull. should be enhanced to have improved tools, mechanisms, and knowledge. Additionally, with the cooperation of both the government and VASP, essential data must be integrated so as for law enforcement to be efficient and to educate the public about the risks of investing in digital assets.