Crime
OFAC Sanctions Chinese Chemical Company and Its Associates in Synthetic Opioid Crackdown
TL;DR OFAC sanctioned China-based chemical company Guangzhou Tengyue Chemical Co., Ltd. and two individuals for trafficking synthetic opioids and cutting…
APAC-based Law Enforcement Freezes $47 Million in Pig Butchering Funds Following Collaboration Among Chainalysis, OKX, Tether, and Binance
TL;DR “Pig butchering” scams have become a major criminal enterprise, combining investment fraud with human trafficking, resulting in billions in…
OFAC Sanctions Fraud Network Funding DPRK Weapons Programs
On August 27, 2025, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned a fraudulent IT worker…
Legislated Sanctions Evasion: How the Garantex Rebrand, Grinex, and the Ruble-Backed Token, A7A5 Have Shaped Russia’s Shadow Crypto Economy
UPDATE 10/24/25: The European Commission adopts its 19th package of sanctions against Russia On October 23, 2025, the European Commission…
The US and Canada Join Forces to Combat Scams, Seizing Millions in Crypto
Last year, we launched Operation Spincaster, a first-of-its-kind public-private initiative designed to disrupt and prevent scams through coordinated global sprints.…
Following the Bitcoin Trail: The IntelBroker Takedown
TL;DR International law enforcement coordinated to take down BreachForum, arresting five administrators including IntelBroker (Kai West). Breakthrough came when IntelBroker…
2025 Crypto Crime Mid-year Update: Stolen Funds Surge as DPRK Sets New Records
Key findings Stolen funds With over $2.17 billion stolen from cryptocurrency services so far in 2025, this year is more…
How Chainalysis Helped Uncover an NCA Officer’s Theft of Seized Bitcoin
TL;DR A UK law enforcement officer stole approximately 50 BTC from assets seized in the Silk Road 2.0 investigation. Despite…
OFAC Sanctions Aeza Group for Hosting Global Bulletproof Service which Enabled Cybercriminals and Technology Theft, Includes Crypto Address in Designation
TL;DR OFAC sanctioned Aeza Group LLC and its network of entities for providing bulletproof hosting services that enable cybercriminals to…
Nobitex, Sanctions, and The $90 Million Exploit: A Window into Iran’s Largest Crypto Exchange
On June 18, 2025, Iranian cryptocurrency platform, Nobitex, was exploited, resulting in the loss of more than $90 million in…
Huione Carries On: Chinese-Language Platform’s Persistence Reveals the Complexity of On-chain Financial Crime Disruption
TL;DR: Despite Huione’s reported “shutdown” and the disappearance of its website and Telegram channels, transaction data shows no meaningful decline.…
OFAC Sanctions Funnull Technology Inc. for Supporting Pig Butchering Scams
On May 29, 2025, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Funnull Technology Inc.,…
AI-Powered Crypto Scams: How Artificial Intelligence is Being Used for Fraud
TL;DR AI-powered scams are impacting the crypto industry, as many fraudsters are combining the pseudonymity of digital assets with the…
Preventing DeFi Hack Events with Chainalysis Hexagate Using Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning
TL;DR As decentralized finance (DeFi) hacks grow in volume and complexity, the crypto industry is moving toward proactive defense. Chainalysis…
What the Huione Group Shutdown Signals About the Future of Crypto Scam Infrastructure
TL;DR FinCEN’s designation of Huione Group marks a major enforcement milestone; however, the broader ecosystem of Chinese-language guarantee services remains…