Crypto & Blockchain News

FBI, Ukraine Seize 9 Exchange Domains over Money Laundering Allegations


The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Ukrainian law enforcement have taken down nine digital currency exchanges suspected of supporting cybercriminals.

The Detroit Field Office of the FBI and the Ukrainian National Police allegedly “conducted coordinated and court-sanctioned activities” that led to the closure and confiscation of the domains of nine virtual currency exchange companies, according to a news statement from May 1.

The websites 24xbtc.com, 100btc.pro, pridechange.com, trust-exchange.org and bitcoin24.exchange were among the domains seized. Each allegedly provides its users with completely anonymous digital currency exchange services while circumventing many of the rules and guidelines demanded of legit crypto exchanges.

Notices of confiscation from the authorities will be shown to anyone trying to access this website.

According to the FBI, the exchange, which provides services in English and Russian, has “loose” anti-money laundering controls and collects little to no KYC data.

These unauthorized rogue exchanges, according to the Bureau, “serve as important hubs in the cybercrime ecosystem.”

According to the agency, many of these virtual currency exchanges are “advertised on online forums dedicated to discussing criminal activity.”

“Many of the cyber actors responsible for the ransomware, as well as fraudsters and other cyber criminals, are involved in the criminal activity that takes place on the affected exchanges.”

Over the last few months, the FBI has been involved in several cryptocurrency-related cases.

In light of his position as one of Sam Bankman-Fried’s former senior advisers, the FBI searched Ryan Salame’s home on April 27. Ryan Salame is a former FTX executive.

On February 3, the FBI seized two nonfungible tokens (NFTs) worth more than $100,000 and 86.5 Ether ($1,865) from phishing scammers. Independent blockchain detective ZachXBT conducted a thorough investigation that led to the seizure after he first reported his activity on Twitter in September 2022.



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