Crime
Intellectual Property Infringement: Crypto Used in Sales for Illicit Streaming Services and Counterfeit Pharmaceuticals
As with all new technologies, malicious actors have found ways to exploit cryptocurrency, despite its transparency and traceability. These actors…
Darknet Market Revenues Rise In 2023 As Markets Develop Role Specialization
Darknet markets were one of two categories of crypto crime that saw revenues rise in 2023. In total, darknet markets…
OFAC and OFSI Sanction Social Media News Outlet Gaza Now for Hamas Fundraising in Wake of October 7 Attacks [Updated 4/1/24]
Update, 4/1/24: NBCTF issues seizure order for Gaza Now addresses, Tether freezes funds Today, Israel’s National Bureau for Counter Terror…
OFAC Sanctions Russia-based Blockchain Companies, Including Netex24 and Bitpapa, for Facilitating Sanctions Evasion
On March 25, 2024, the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned twelve entities…
OFAC Sanctions Russian Nationals Ilya Andreevich Gambashidze and Nikolai Aleksandrovich Tupikin for Facilitating Disinformation on Behalf of the Government of Russia, Funds Frozen by Tether
On March 20, 2024, the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Russian nationals…
The On-chain Footprint of Southeast Asia’s ‘Pig Butchering’ Compounds: Human Trafficking, Ransoms, and Hundreds of Millions Scammed
Romance scams, also known as “pig butchering scams” for the way bad actors say they “fatten up” their victims to…
U.S. and U.K. Disrupt Lockbit Ransomware Group and Indict Two Russian Nationals While OFAC Levies Sanctions
On February 20, 2024, the U.K.’s National Crime Agency (NCA), alongside the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), announced the disruption of…
Money Laundering Activity Spread Across More Service Deposit Addresses in 2023, Plus New Tactics from Lazarus Group
The goal of money laundering is to obscure the criminal origins of funds so that they can be accessed and…
Ransomware Payments Exceed $1 Billion in 2023, Hitting Record High After 2022 Decline
In 2023, ransomware actors intensified their operations, targeting high-profile institutions and critical infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, and government agencies. Major…
54% of ERC-20 Tokens Listed on DEXes in 2023 Display Patterns That May Be Suggestive of Pump and Dump Schemes, but Represent just 1.3% of DEX Trading Volume
For most of the research that we publish in our annual Crypto Crime Report, the data tells a clear story.…
Funds Stolen from Crypto Platforms Fall More Than 50% in 2023, but Hacking Remains a Significant Threat as Number of Incidents Rises
Over the last few years, cryptocurrency hacking has become a pervasive and formidable threat, leading to billions of dollars stolen…
2024 Crypto Crime Trends: Illicit Activity Down as Scamming and Stolen Funds Fall, But Ransomware and Darknet Markets See Growth
2023 was a year of recovery for cryptocurrency, as the industry rebounded from the scandals, blowups, and price declines of…
CSAM and Cryptocurrency: On-chain Analysis Suggests CSAM Vendors May Benefit from Privacy Coins like Monero and Other Obfuscation Measures
CSAM (child sexual abuse material) is an understudied part of the crypto crime ecosystem. The industry is broadly aware that…
Targeted Approval Phishing Scams See Explosive Growth Over Last Two Years, With At Least $374 Million Suspected Stolen in 2023
Approval phishing is a scamming tactic that has existed for many years. But whereas approval phishing scammers have historically targeted…
U.S. Sanctions Crypto Mixer Sinbad.io for Role in North Korean Laundering Activities
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced today that it has imposed sanctions on cryptocurrency mixer…