Following a wave of targeted fraud, the team behind Pi has suspended a key function of the Pi Network wallet to protect users and their funds.
Payment request feature halted after millions of PI stolen
The Pi Core Team has temporarily disabled the wallet payment request feature after a surge in sophisticated scams drained millions of tokens from user accounts. The move, announced on social platform X, responds to attackers increasingly abusing the function to trick users into approving fraudulent transfers.
According to on-chain data shared by community observers and several reporting outlets, scammers have siphoned off more than 4.4 million PI by sending deceptive payment requests to holders with large balances. Moreover, one single scammer address reportedly received hundreds of thousands of tokens every month throughout 2025, highlighting the scale of the abuse.
Once a user approves a malicious request, the tokens are moved instantly to the attacker’s wallet and cannot be reversed. That said, victims therefore have no recourse after a transfer is authorised, which has intensified calls for stronger in-app protections and clearer warnings.
The Pi Core Team stressed that the situation stems from social engineering rather than any flaw in the protocol itself. However, the transparency of Pi’s blockchain means wallet balances and addresses are publicly visible, allowing bad actors to identify high-value accounts and craft targeted scams.
Public addresses and social engineering risks
Because wallet balances and pi blockchain public addresses are open to anyone, scammers can impersonate trusted contacts, friends, moderators, or even unofficial accounts to pressure users into approving transfers. This pattern mirrors broader crypto fraud trends, where attackers rely more on psychological manipulation than on exploiting code vulnerabilities.
To curb further losses, the network has disabled the payment request capability across its ecosystem while evaluating additional safeguards. Moreover, the suspension is described as temporary, but the team has not yet provided a specific timeline for restoring the function.
During this period, community moderators and safety advocates are urging users to reject all unsolicited requests. That said, they also encourage users to double-check any interaction inside the Pi Network wallet app, especially when unexpected token movements or approvals are involved.
Scam tactics and mounting security concerns
Experts and user reports indicate that these wallet drains are part of a broader uptick in deceptive schemes targeting the Pi community. Fraudsters are casting a wide net, ranging from phishing links promising fake airdrops or price promotions to counterfeit portals that demand wallet credentials or private keys.
Such tactics can lead to full account takeovers and complete loss of funds. Moreover, several reports describe pi wallet phishing scams that closely mimic legitimate interfaces, making it difficult for inexperienced users to distinguish official channels from fakes.
Pi Network’s core team has repeatedly warned users not to share sensitive information or interact with unverified links circulating on social media and messaging platforms. However, the project’s rapid growth, mobile-centric model, and referral-based incentives have also made its large user base an appealing target for scammers.
Independent analysts generally do not classify Pi Network as an outright scam, though its experimental model continues to draw scrutiny. Users are therefore advised to rely strictly on official communication channels, verify domains and handles, and exercise heightened caution when approached by unverifiable contacts.
Market reaction and PI token performance
The payment request suspension arrives amid mixed sentiment surrounding the PI token’s market performance. While some analysts remain optimistic about the Pi token’s price trajectory, the coin currently trades near the $0.20 level, up only 1% over the past two weeks.
Notably, the PI coin price has been weighed down by low liquidity and ongoing token unlocks, with significant amounts entering circulation in recent months. Moreover, the token has struggled to absorb this additional supply, and daily trading volumes remain only moderate despite growth in community activity.
For some traders, the feature suspension raises fresh questions about user protection and the broader pi token price impact from security incidents. However, others view the decision as a necessary, short-term measure to safeguard holders and shore up long-term confidence.
Outlook for security and user protection
As the team works on new protections, including clearer warnings and improved review flows for any pi wallet payment request, community leaders are emphasising education and vigilance. That said, they stress that users must understand how approvals work and treat any unexpected request as potentially malicious.
In summary, the temporary deactivation of a single feature in the Pi Network wallet underscores a broader lesson for the crypto sector: transparent blockchains and open access offer benefits but also expose users to sophisticated social engineering, making education, cautious behaviour, and robust safeguards essential for long-term ecosystem health.
Source: https://en.cryptonomist.ch/2025/12/31/pi-network-wallet-payment-halt/
