Europol: Cryptocurrency Serves 'Crime-as-a-Service' Business Model
Digital currencies are increasingly serving as a money laundering platform for "freelance criminal entrepreneurs operating on a crime-as-a-service business model", according to a new Europol report. The EU's law enforcement agency said that the decline of traditional hierarchical criminal networks will be accompanied by the emergence of individual criminal entrepreneurs, who come together on a project basis. The report, which identified the key driving factors affecting the EU's criminal landscape, predicted that the role of freelance crime organisers is expected to "become more....
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Digital currencies such as Bitcoin are enabling individual criminals, who come together on an ad-hoc basis, to boost the "crime-as-a-service" business model. The newly-released Europol report titled, 'Exploring Tomorrow's Organised Crime', states: "Virtual currencies increasingly enable individuals to act as freelance criminal entrepreneurs operating on a crime-as-a-service business model without the need for a sophisticated criminal infrastructure to receive and launder money." The research, aimed at identifying the key trends in the EU criminal landscape, revealed that such developments....
In its latest report called the Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment for 2015, Europol outlined the state of cybercrime threats in the European Union. The report mentions bitcoin and virtual currencies, claiming that it accounts for roughly 40% of criminal-to-criminal transactions online. This follows the agency's statement indicating that cryptocurrencies promote the crime-as-a-service business model, wherein bitcoin was highlighted for its role in facilitating money laundering. The cryptocurrency is known for its anonymous transactions, which Europol says makes it "heavily abused....
Abuse expands with use in the case of cryptocurrency, Europol has acknowledged while also noting that blockchain technologies offer authorities a new opportunity to fight crime. Europe’s law enforcement agency also says they can help investigate money laundering networks.
Understanding Cryptocurrencies Is Vital to Tackling Organized Crime, Europol Says
The growing use of cryptocurrency across borders and industries comes with increasing abuse, new forms of crime, and money laundering, the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) has concluded after....
Cyber crime startup Chainalysis has raised $1.6 million USD, while announcing collaboration with Europol following an uptick in Bitcoin related ransomware attacks, which included including Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center’s recent $17,000 USD bitcoin payout. Chainalysis Partners with Europol. While a 40-bitcoin ($17,000 USD) ransom payout made its....
The latest research from Europol called the Europol Internet Organized Crime Threat Assessment makes it clear how thieves’ use of Bitcoin is changing. The report talks about the use of stablecoins like Tether (USDT) and Bitcoin for illegal activities, and how Monero is becoming more popular for private transfers, among other key findings. Related Reading: […]