crime

The National Police of Ukraine and the Internal Security Department conducted a joint operation, arresting a suspect in the Transcarpathian region who is alleged to be involved in an international cybercrime gang. This gang is implicated in fraud and money laundering cases exceeding $100 million targeting the United States and Europe, and had previously been listed as an international wanted person by the FBI.The suspect was found in possession of forged identity documents and had even fabricated a death certificate to conceal their whereabouts. The gang deployed malware to steal personal and corporate data, subsequently extorting victims for ransom. Money laundering methods included purchasing real estate and using relatives' names to obscure the flow of funds. Authorities seized approximately $11 million in assets, including cash, real estate, vehicles, and about $3 million worth of cryptocurrency, and also apprehended two co-defendants. The suspect faces charges of document forgery and money laundering.

According to DL News, several "revenge intermediary" organizations in South Korea that use cryptocurrency as a payment method have been active recently. These organizations take orders via Telegram, providing services such as intimidation, assaults, and even murders disguised as accidents, requiring clients to pay a 50% deposit in USDT, and promising to send action videos recorded by body cameras via Telegram.Although the main suspect was arrested on April 3, related online advertisements continued to be published on April 13. The South Korean police have launched investigations into over 50 related cases this year, arresting about 30 people, and determining that all cases involve cryptocurrency payments.

A 27-year-old German hacker, Noah Christopher, was arrested in Bangkok, Thailand, facing up to 74 arrest warrants for cyber crimes in Europe.Investigations show that this individual is suspected of developing and operating a ransomware platform and a "cybercrime-as-a-service" (CaaS) system between 2021 and 2025, including providing distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack tools (such as Fluxstress and Neldowner), assisting global clients in launching cyber attacks and charging fees, with related ransom payments involving cryptocurrencies and other digital assets, constituting transnational cybercrime activities. His visa has been revoked, and he is currently detained awaiting extradition to Germany.

Brazilian President Lula has signed Law No. 15,358, which explicitly incorporates seized cryptocurrency assets during law enforcement into the public safety funding system for expenditures such as police equipment, intelligence operations, and personnel training.The law allows for the temporary use of relevant cryptocurrency assets prior to final conviction with court approval. The new regulations also significantly expand the powers of judicial authorities, allowing them to freeze, block, or confiscate cryptocurrency assets during the investigation phase, including restricting access to exchange accounts, digital wallets, and related platforms. Once convicted, the individuals involved will be permanently deprived of the ability to use the formal financial system and cryptocurrency systems. Additionally, the law categorizes the use of encrypted communication tools or privacy technologies to conceal criminal activities as an aggravating circumstance, promotes cross-border asset recovery and intelligence sharing, and establishes a national database to integrate the financial structures of criminal organizations. Analysts believe that this initiative marks Brazil's shift of cryptocurrency assets from potential reserve tools to law enforcement resources, strengthening the crackdown on organized crime (such as PCC and Comando Vermelho) while advancing the judicial system's regulatory and disposal capabilities regarding digital assets.

According to CoinDesk, blockchain analytics company TRM Labs has launched an AI agent tool for law enforcement agencies, embedded in its TRM Forensics service, which can convert natural language instructions into complex investigative operations, helping investigators track illegal cryptocurrency transactions.Users do not need to have a high technical threshold to query fund flow information, speeding up the pursuit of criminals.

According to CriptoNoticias, the National Anti-Drug Secretariat of Paraguay (Senad) held a seminar titled "Dismantling Criminal and Terrorist Financial Networks" at the Sheraton Hotel in Asunción in collaboration with the American Bar Association's Rule of Law Initiative and the Higher Institute of the Prosecutor's Office. The aim was to enhance the technical capabilities of law enforcement personnel in identifying and combating criminal organizations that use Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrencies for money concealment.The seminar focused on analyzing the trend of transnational criminal networks in the tri-border area moving towards digitalization and involved the "Trapiche Operation" case related to financing networks associated with Hezbollah. General Mirko Sokol, the Commander of the Bolivian Police, revealed at the meeting that after the arrest of Uruguayan drug lord Sebastián Marset, no large amounts of cash were found at his residence, and related transactions were primarily conducted through cryptocurrencies.The Paraguayan Tax Authority (DNIT) issued Resolution No. 47/26 on March 11, requiring cryptocurrency trading platforms to report detailed information on each transaction, including wallet addresses, the networks used, and transaction hash values.

According to DL News, the Ertzaintza police in Spain's Basque Country stated that cryptocurrency-related crimes in the region are on the rise, with a total of 541 related cases investigated in 2025, which are still under investigation.The police have been equipped with specialized tools to monitor cryptocurrency transactions across multiple blockchain networks and have formed a cybercrime department consisting of 26 detectives dedicated to combating crimes such as crypto fraud and hacking. The cases under investigation include 13 suspected cases of crypto fraud, 2 suspected cases of crypto money laundering, as well as tax evasion and illegal purchases of goods and services.The police warned that scammers impersonate friends and family on social media platforms like Instagram to provide investment advice, tricking victims into installing applications that allow remote control, thereby stealing cryptocurrency wallets and bank accounts.

Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin posted on the X platform, proposing a tool to enhance personal security and provide low-cost protection for civil liberties, which is that everyone should have an easy and "deniable" way to report emergencies.For example, by pre-setting a few secret words, when a watch, phone, or home device hears these words, it automatically dials 911 silently and transmits the location to the police in real-time. This is particularly effective for cryptocurrency holders who are concerned about being kidnapped or robbed.Vitalik stated that if the environment can ensure that there is at least a 20% chance the police will arrive immediately when a robbery occurs, and the robber cannot detect whether the alarm has been triggered, then such crimes will become unfeasible due to the high risk involved. Since this feature requires the victim to take action for it to operate, the risk of it being misused by the government for mass surveillance is relatively low.

The Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, Ying Yong, delivered the work report of the Supreme People's Procuratorate at the Fourth Session of the 14th National People's Congress, in which he pointed out to strengthen anti-money laundering efforts, prosecuting 3,259 individuals for money laundering crimes using virtual currencies and underground banks. He also emphasized the legal punishment of telecom and internet fraud crimes, prosecuting 69,000 individuals.

According to CCTV News, the second plenary session of the Fourth Session of the 14th National People's Congress was held today at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, where Zhang Jun, President of the Supreme People's Court, delivered the work report of the Supreme People's Court.The report shows that in the past five years, 9,326 cases of crimes endangering cybersecurity were concluded, involving 22,000 people, an increase of 158.5% (in terms of case numbers) compared to the previous five years. The law has been used to punish crimes such as online rumors, online pyramid schemes, and online violence, promoting comprehensive governance of cybersecurity. Two young individuals maliciously "doxxed" others, illegally obtaining and disseminating personal privacy information, and were convicted and sentenced according to the law. Strict penalties have been imposed for crimes involving money laundering and illegal foreign exchange using virtual currencies, working together to prevent illegal cross-border capital transfers. It is clarified that drivers who activate assisted driving functions after drinking should still bear criminal responsibility, and technological applications must adhere to legal boundaries.

According to Cointelegraph, the FBI, Europol, and law enforcement agencies from 14 countries conducted a joint operation on March 3-4, successfully shutting down the cybercrime forum LeakBase. The forum had over 142,000 members and served as a platform for hackers to buy and sell stolen data and cybercrime tools.Law enforcement has seized user accounts, posts, credit details, private information, and IP logs as evidence, and executed search warrants and arrests in multiple countries. Notably, LeakBase's predecessor, Raidforums, was shut down in 2022 and had hosted leaked data containing personal information of approximately 272,000 users of the cryptocurrency wallet company Ledger. In recent years, data breaches in the cryptocurrency industry have continued to rise, including security incidents such as the hacking of Coinbase's internal systems.

According to the Shanghai Securities Journal, Wang Bin, the head of the Third Criminal Division of the Supreme People's Court, stated at a press conference on "The People's Court's Work on Punishing Telecom and Network Fraud and Property Crimes According to Law" that the next step will focus on cracking down on key figures and core members of criminal groups, "financial backers" of telecom fraud, "snakeheads" organizing illegal immigration, and organizations providing armed protection for cross-border fraud crimes, as well as violent crimes such as intentional homicide, intentional injury, and kidnapping committed during telecom fraud, and related crimes such as "money laundering" using virtual currencies and underground banks.Wang Bin also stated that the people's courts will legally strengthen the application of property penalties against telecom fraud criminals, preventing them from benefiting economically. They will guide those involved in "two-card" assistance and concealment of criminals to voluntarily compensate victims, consider the return of stolen goods and compensation as mitigating factors in sentencing for confession and remorse, and impose strict penalties according to law on criminals who have the ability but refuse to return stolen goods or compensate victims.

The Ministry of Public Security has announced that it has drafted the "Cyber Crime Prevention Law (Draft for Public Consultation)" and is now seeking public opinions. The content includes: no individual or organization shall knowingly harbor, transfer, acquire, sell on behalf of others, or conceal and disguise funds, data, or virtual property obtained from others' online illegal activities. No individual or organization shall knowingly use funds obtained from others' illegal activities to provide capital flow services using virtual currency or other online virtual properties.

The Ministry of Public Security has announced that it has drafted the "Cyber Crime Prevention Law (Draft for Comments)" and is now publicly soliciting opinions from society, with the deadline for feedback set for March 2, 2026. The content includes: no individual or organization shall knowingly harbor, transfer, acquire, sell on behalf of others, or conceal or disguise funds, data, or virtual property obtained from others' online illegal activities.No individual or organization shall knowingly use funds obtained from others' illegal activities to provide capital flow services using virtual currency or other online virtual property for others.

According to China News Service, Hong Kong hosted the annual meeting of the International Criminal Police Organization's Cybercrime Expert Group for the first time. The meeting covered various topics including online extortion, artificial intelligence, and virtual asset tracking. Chief Superintendent Chow Man-ming of the Hong Kong Police Force noted the emerging trends in crimes related to virtual assets and established a virtual asset intelligence task force last year as a public-private partnership to jointly address technological challenges.The Hong Kong police have also developed a virtual asset tracking system that visualizes the virtual asset investigation process and fully supports investigators.

According to Xinhua News Agency, at the national procurators' meeting held in Beijing, the Supreme People's Procuratorate made arrangements to fully utilize the power of the rule of law to serve high-quality development and other aspects. The Supreme Procuratorate requires that procuratorial organs must legally safeguard economic and financial security, severely punish serious economic crimes, and promote the creation of a law-based business environment.The Supreme Procuratorate demands strict punishment for crimes such as smuggling and exporting strategic minerals to safeguard national strategic interests; in conjunction with the Financial Regulatory Administration and others, legally govern the illegal intermediary chaos in the financial sector, severely punish illegal fundraising, financial fraud, and other crimes, and comprehensively combat the financial "black and gray industries," ensuring the stable operation of finance and protecting the property safety of the people; increase efforts in anti-money laundering work, focusing on punishing crimes that utilize underground banks and virtual currency for money laundering. The Supreme Procuratorate proposed to deepen the rule of law construction in the capital market in conjunction with the China Securities Regulatory Commission, improve the mechanism for stationed securities procuratorial work, and strictly punish securities crimes such as financial fraud and market manipulation to maintain the safety of the capital market.

According to the disclosure from the Shanghai Procuratorial WeChat official account, the Shanghai Baoshan District Procuratorate, in handling a case of occupational crime, successfully initiated supervision on 24 cases involving 24 individuals through a penetrating review of funds, tracking the flow of funds. Prosecutors stated that the number of accounts involved in the underground money laundering gang was numerous, making the case very challenging, with a massive scale of financial transactions and a money laundering amount reaching 1.8 billion yuan. Ultimately, through pursuit and prosecution, they cracked down on money laundering activities that utilized virtual currency for cross-border transfer of illicit funds.In response to new and complex money laundering crimes such as underground money houses and virtual currencies, the Baoshan District Procuratorate guided public security agencies to penetrate fund accounts, clarify the sources and destinations of funds, secure electronic data, and make precise and effective accusations, fully ensuring the quality and effectiveness of the investigation and handling of money laundering cases.

Binance co-CEO He Yi posted that the platform is offering a reward for evidence of fraud related to "listing agents" across the network.Earlier today, Binance announced that users should not trust any "listing agents" and that there will be no fees charged for listing applications. Reports can earn up to a $5 million reward.