Crime
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…
OFAC Sanctions Russian National Ekaterina Zhdanova for Using Cryptocurrency to Launder Money on Behalf of Russian Elites and Ransomware Groups
On November 3, 2023, the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Russian national…
OFAC Sanctions Gaza-based MSB Buy Cash with Crypto Ties to Hamas Following Terror Attack Against Israel
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced that it has imposed sanctions on ten…
Correcting the Record: Inaccurate Methodologies for Estimating Cryptocurrency’s Role in Terrorism Financing
In recent days following the horrific terrorist attack by Hamas in Israel, we have received many questions about how terrorist…
OFAC Sanctions Network Involved in China-based Manufacturing of Fentanyl and Other Drugs, Highlights Related Cryptocurrency Addresses
On October 3, 2023, the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) brought sanctions against several individuals and companies…
OFAC Sanctions Mexican and Colombian Nationals Involved in Sinaloa Cartel Fentanyl Trafficking and Money Laundering Via Cryptocurrency
On September 26, 2023, the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned 10 individuals…
Russian and North Korean Cyberattack Infrastructure Converge: New Hacking Data Raises National Security Concerns
In the wake of a historic arms meeting between Kim Jung-un and Vladimir Putin, on-chain data reveals disturbing information: Democratic…
The Chainalysis Law Enforcement Crypto Field Guide
Rapid identification of cryptocurrency assets can help facilitate arrests, increase asset seizure and recovery, and aid prosecutions. The items described…