- Pi Network halts wallet payment requests after large-scale scams target users.
- Scammers exploit public balances and impersonate trusted contacts.
- PI trades around $0.20 due to low liquidity and token unlocks.
Pi Network has temporarily disabled the wallet payment request feature in response to a surge of sophisticated scams that have resulted in the loss of millions of PI tokens from user wallets.
This action, announced by the Pi Core team on the social platform X, comes as attackers increasingly misuse the platform’s payment request function to trick users into approving fraudulent transfers.
On-chain data shared by community observers and news outlets indicate that scammers drained more than 4.4 million tokens from private clients by sending deceptive payment requests to holders with large balances.
One fraudulent address reportedly received hundreds of thousands of tokens each month throughout 2025.
Tokens approved through these requests are immediately transferred to the attacker’s wallet and cannot be reversed, leaving victims with no recourse once a transfer is authorized.
The Pi Core team emphasized that the issue arises primarily from social engineering, not from a protocol flaw in the network.
Because wallet balances and addresses are publicly visible on the Pi blockchain, bad actors can identify high-value wallets and impersonate trusted contacts, friends, moderators, or even official accounts to persuade users to authorize transfers.
To limit further losses, the network disabled the payment request feature across its ecosystem while it evaluates potential security measures.
The suspension is intended to be temporary, but the team has not announced a specific timeline for restoring the feature.
In the meantime, community moderators and security advocates are urging users to decline any unsolicited payment requests.
Scam tactics and broader security concerns
Reports from experts and users suggest these scams are part of a wider rise in deceptive schemes targeting Pi users.
Scammers employ a broad range of tactics—from phishing links promising fake airdrops or price promotions to counterfeit portals that request wallet login credentials or private keys, which can lead to full account takeover.
The Pi Network core team repeatedly warns users not to share sensitive information or engage with unverified links circulating on social media and communication platforms.
While independent analysts generally do not label Pi Network itself as an overt scam, its rapid growth, mobile-focused model, and referral-based incentives have attracted attention, making its large user base a target for fraudsters.
Users are advised to rely strictly on official communication channels and exercise heightened caution when contacted by unverifiable accounts.
Impact on the PI token price
The suspension of payment requests arrives amid mixed sentiment about the market performance of the PI token.
Although price forecasts for Pi remain optimistic, the token is currently trading near $0.20, a gain of roughly 1% over the past two weeks.
Notably, PI’s price has been pressured by low liquidity and ongoing token unlocks, with a significant number of tokens entering circulation in recent months.
The token is struggling to absorb the added supply, and daily trading volumes remain modest.