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Pi Network suspends wallet payment requests amid rising scams
Pi Network has temporarily disabled the wallet payment request feature after a wave of social-engineering attacks targeted accounts holding large PI balances. The Pi Core Team confirmed the pause on Dec. 30 via X, noting that scammers have been scanning the public ledger to find high-balance addresses and then sending deceptive payment requests to trick users into approving transfers.
Summary
- The Pi Network team paused payment requests to stop ongoing token thefts.
- Attacks relied on social engineering — impersonation of trusted contacts and community accounts — rather than a core protocol vulnerability.
- PI’s market remains pressured by low liquidity and recurring token unlocks.
How the scam works and why it escalated
Scammers exploit Pi’s transparent ledger: wallet balances are visible on-chain, which allows malicious actors to identify addresses that hold sizable PI reserves. Once a target is found, the attacker sends a payment request while posing as a trusted contact, family member, or official-looking Pi account. If the recipient approves the request, the tokens transfer immediately and are irretrievable.
Community reports and moderation logs indicate multiple coordinated incidents. In one documented case, a single scammer address collected more than 838,000 PI during December 2025. Across the year, losses to these schemes are estimated in the millions of PI tokens. The Pi Core Team emphasized that the transfers occur because users accepted the requests — it is social engineering, not a flaw in the transaction system.
Network response and temporary measures
To contain further losses, Pi Network has paused the payment request feature network-wide while it assesses additional safety controls. The team called the suspension temporary, but advised all users to reject unsolicited payment requests regardless of the sender’s apparent identity. Community moderators and official channels have repeated the warning: do not approve payment requests without independent verification.
Market impact and wider context
Despite technical progress this month — including faster KYC processing after integrating AI-assisted verification and the announcement of winners from the Open Network hackathon — PI token price and liquidity remain fragile.
At the time of reporting, PI traded near $0.20, a modest intraday uptick but roughly 10% below prices a month earlier. The token is still far from its February peak of $2.99, representing a roughly 93% decline since that high. pi 0.77%
December saw about 105 million PI tokens unlocked, increasing circulating supply in a market with comparatively low liquidity. Daily trading volumes averaged between $8 million and $30 million, which amplifies price sensitivity to sell pressure. Analysts expect PI to remain range-bound between roughly $0.15 and $0.25 unless network usage and investor confidence pick up.
Practical security tips for Pi users
- Always independently verify payment requests before approving; contact the person through a separate channel.
- Treat any urgent or emotionally charged message with skepticism.
- Enable any available safety features and follow official Pi Network guidance.
- Avoid sharing private keys, seed phrases, or signing transactions without verifying the exact request.
Outlook
The payment-request pause is a pragmatic step to protect user funds while the Pi team explores permanent safeguards that balance usability with security. For investors and network participants, the incident underscores how on-chain transparency can be weaponized by social engineers. Continued vigilance, improved user education, and technical hardening of request workflows will be critical to restoring confidence.
For now, users should treat unexpected payment requests as potentially malicious and rely only on verified communications from known contacts and official Pi channels. The network’s next updates should clarify whether the feature will return with stricter verification, limited scope, or additional confirmations to prevent automated or deceptive approvals.
Source: crypto
Comments
DaNix
Is the pause enough tho? If users keep approving requests, nothing stops the scam. Need extra confirmations, or KYC flags?
blocktone
wow didn't expect that level of social engineering... Crazy that on-chain visibility makes targets so easy. Hope they add more checks, and faster. stay safe ppl
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