Crypto criminals got away with $5B less in 2020 as scam revenue falls
The proceeds of crypto crime fell by more than $5 billion in 2020, due to increasing regulatory compliance by crypto exchanges and declining scams. Revenue from crypto-related crime dropped by more than half in 2020 according to Chainalysis’ annual report on the subject.Cybercriminals netted around $5 billion less than the $10 billion plus they got away with in 2019, representing a 53% fall. Transactions involving illicit funds have decreased even more rapidly than the total volume of those funds, falling from 2.1% of all transactions analyzed in 2019 down to just 0.34% last year. Among....
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Chainalysis has found that illicit crypto volumes are down this year, with total scam revenue sitting at $1.6 billion, 65% lower than where it was through the end of July last year. “Those numbers suggest that fewer people than ever are falling for cryptocurrency scams,” the blockchain data analytics firm wrote.
Data Shows Illicit Crypto Volumes Are Down
Blockchain data analytics firm Chainalysis published its mid-year crypto crime update titled “Illicit Activity Falls With Rest of Market, With Some Notable Exceptions” on Tuesday.
The firm....
NatWest issued a crypto scam warning to mobile banking users after reportedly receiving a record number of complaints in Q1. The U.K bank with the worst record for dealing with scam complaints has issued a cryptocurrency scam alert. NatWest, which was rated as the worst U.K bank for accurately discerning legitimate fraud complaints in 2020, sent the warning to users of its mobile banking app after it reportedly received a record number of scam reports between January and March 2021. The warning made particular note of one type of scam which involves hackers installing remote access....
A massive police operation took place in Istanbul, Turkey, against a Chinese gang’s crypto scam. Authorities found that criminals kidnapped 101 people and forced them to run scam operations. Scammers Tricked Hostages by Promising Them Work in a Legit ‘Crypto Investment Consultancy’ According to Demirören Haber Ajansı, Istanbul police cracked down a fake “crypto investment consultancy” agency that allegedly hired these 101 people to run the scheme. In reality, the gang turned out to be a massive criminal operation, as they held hostage the employees....
The mastermind of what the U.S. Department of Justice calls a scam of “epic proportions” has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. His crypto scheme collected over $147 million, duping 72,000 investors. He is also ordered to pay the U.S. Internal Revenue Service more than $1.8 million for tax evasion. Scam Involving Fake Cryptocurrency The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Monday that a California man, Steve Chen, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for his “leading role” in a major crypto fraud case. Judge John Walter called Chen’s....
Less gullible retail investors and falling asset prices have made scamming a less enticing endeavor, but the tsunami of new DeFi applications has hackers licking their lips. Fewer people have fallen victim to cryptocurrency scams in 2022 so far due to falling asset prices and the exit of inexperienced crypto users from the market, a new crypto crime report reveals. According to an Aug. 16 report from Chainalysis, total crypto scam revenue year-to-date is currently sitting at $1.6 billion, equating to a 65% decline from the prior year period, which appears linked to the declining prices of....