Like Diego, I'm also a member of the DFINITY team. I think he explained it quite well, but I will try to make it more complicated :) Exchanges are selling IOUs on pure speculation. We have not released our token, ICP, yet.

The IOUs have nothing directly to do with us (DFINITY). However, he is also right that this is not unusual, and probably not even insidious. It was done with Polkadot, for instance, and everything was legit.

But speculation like this, especially on cryptocurrency, is not for the weak of wallet. Those selling the IOUs are basically hoping they can buy them at a lower price when they become available, and then hand them to you at the higher price you paid (the IOU). They are "shorts." It's a gamble.

Most of us at DFINITY are here for the mission.

We're concerned with the Internet Computer - expanding a data hosting component to the original TCP/IP internet protocol so that Cloud hosting monopolies are no longer needed (looking at you Amazon, Microsoft, and Google).

TLDR;

Watch our website and drink the kool-aid. Take your information from the source and knowledgeable critics. Do your DD. Then hire a CPA.