Bitcoin boom prompts deluge of bizarre cryptocurrency schemes cashing in on digital gold rush

Bitcoin's mid-December boom has sparked a renewed interest in cryptocurrency investment across the world - and some extremely strange goings-on as entrepreneurs speculate on the best way to capitalise on the digicoin gold rush. The market leader's value stormed to an all-time high of $19,850 (£14,214) in the run-up to Christmas but has since dropped back to its customary $10,000 (£7,190) mark. Competitors like ethereum, litecoin, ripple and bitcoin cash have all quietly prospered out of the limelight - but cryptocurriences remain a volatile proposition. Yesterday saw all but two of CoinMarketCap's top 50 cryptos decline in value, thought to be a reaction to the US Securities and Exchange and Commission declaring that all trading platforms will ultimately need to be registered and regulated to protect consumers. All of this excitement has led to a number of bizarre developments as businesses (and scammers) think outside the box about the best way to enter a market worth a combined $405bn (£292bn).