FBI, Ukraine seize 9 exchange domains on money laundering allegations

Nine integer currency exchanges allegedly aiding and abetting cybercriminals had their domains seized by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Ukrainian instrumentality enforcement.

According to a May 1 property release, the FBI’s Detroit Field Office and the National Police of Ukraine “conducted coordinated, court-authorized activity” that resulted successful the shutdown and seizure of the domains of 9 virtual currency speech services.

The seized domains included the websites 24xbtc.com, 100btc.pro, pridechange.com, trust-exchange.org and bitcoin24.exchange. Each reportedly offered wholly anonymous integer currency speech services to their users, skirting galore of the rules and regulations required of licensed crypto exchanges.

Anyone attempting to entree these websites volition spot a seizure announcement from the authorities.

The trust-exchange.org webpage pursuing the action. Source: trust-exchange.org

The FBI noted the exchanges, which offered services successful some English and Russian, featured “lax” anti-money laundering measures and collected minimal KYC accusation oregon “none astatine all.”

The Bureau claimed these kinds of rogue, unlicenced exchanges “serve arsenic important hubs successful the cybercrime ecosystem.”

According to the agency, galore of these virtual currency exchanges were “advertised connected online forums dedicated to discussing transgression activity.”

“Much of the transgression enactment occurring astatine the affected exchanges progressive cyber actors liable for ransomware, but besides different scammers, and cybercriminals.”

The FBI has been progressive successful a fig of cryptocurrency-related issues implicit the past fewer months.

Related: CFTC wins grounds $3.4B punishment outgo successful Bitcoin-related fraud case

On April 27, the FBI conducted a search of erstwhile FTX enforcement Ryan Salame’s location successful narration to his relation arsenic 1 of Sam Bankman-Fried’s erstwhile apical advisors.

On Feb. 3, the FBI seized 86.5 Ether (ETH) and 2 nonfungible tokens (NFTs) worthy much than $100,000 from a reported phishing scammer. The seizure was the effect of a lengthy probe by independent blockchain sleuth ZachXBT, who archetypal exposed the enactment connected Twitter successful Sept. 2022.

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