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Greek police dismantled a cryptocurrency investment fraud gang and arrested 17 people, including 9 military personnel. Preliminary investigations by the police show that about 10,000 people participated in the investment, with an average investment of around 800 euros per person, and the amount involved is estimated to exceed 8 million euros.The gang operated by recruiting new members to obtain higher returns, exhibiting clear "pyramid" characteristics. In addition, the gang recently froze the withdrawal function and claimed that investors could receive double their principal back after 50 days if they doubled their investment. The police have currently seized about 280,000 euros, and the investigation is ongoing.

According to Decrypt, the European Union's law enforcement agency reported that Spanish police arrested a 16-year-old Romanian suspect in Alicante, suspected of being an administrator and main operator of the ransomware group KillSec.Two other suspects in their twenties were arrested in the UK and Romania, respectively; another developer who just turned 18 in August this year has been identified but has not been arrested due to some crimes occurring during their minor years.This operation, codenamed Operation KillSwitch, was led by the Hamburg State Criminal Police and the city's prosecution office, focusing on approximately 1,000 suspected attacks worldwide, with about 500 confirmed as successful intrusions.Law enforcement searched eight locations in Spain, Greece, Romania, and the UK, seized five central servers, and redirected related domain names to seizure announcement pages, while also confiscating at least 110 TB of stolen data.KillSec has been active since around 2024, exploiting software vulnerabilities and poorly secured cloud storage entry points to infiltrate corporate systems, copying internal data and naming victim organizations on dark web leak sites, threatening to publicly release documents to demand cryptocurrency ransoms, and if the target refuses to pay, they release the data for free.The Swiss Federal Police noted that the group also employed double extortion tactics, first encrypting servers and then applying pressure. U.S. prosecutors' charges indicate that a Dutch national residing in the UK, Fouad Eltibrizi (nicknamed Archduke), was indicted by a federal grand jury in Puerto Rico on September 16, subsequently arrested, and awaiting extradition, facing up to 10 years in prison. The European Cybercrime Centre, under the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation, is assisting in tracing cryptocurrency funds and conducting digital forensics.

According to the Star newspaper, police in the central region of Perak, in collaboration with the National Energy Company (TNB), launched an operation in Seri Iskandar to dismantle an illegal cryptocurrency mining site and arrested two local men.The individuals involved are suspected of illegally connecting wires to power Bitcoin mining machines. Police seized 30 Bitcoin mining machines, routers, desktop switches, and a roll of wire at the scene. The case is being investigated under Section 427 of the Penal Code and Section 37(1) of the Electricity Supply Act 1990.Police emphasized that stealing electricity for mining is not only illegal but can also cause significant losses to the power company and pose a fire risk.

Recently, the police in Baotou, Inner Mongolia, China, investigated a virtual currency money laundering case. The criminal gang used "free credit card repayment" as bait to attract ordinary users to provide accounts. They received illicit funds from overseas gambling and fraud through false consumption, then contacted currency dealers to exchange for virtual currency and transferred it to designated addresses abroad. Through financial and on-chain data analysis, the police identified nearly a thousand involved accounts, with suspects distributed across Inner Mongolia, Shandong, Jiangsu, Hebei, Chongqing, and other regions.The Digital Currency Research Institute of the People's Bank of China stated that it is currently using large model technology to analyze the flow of funds in virtual currency transactions, restore the gang's trading patterns, and uncover clues related to illegal industries. Upon investigation, it was confirmed that seven members of the gang were illegally engaged in payment settlement business without approval from relevant national authorities, constituting the crime of illegal operation, and were sentenced to imprisonment ranging from one year and two months to two years and six months, along with fines.Using virtual currency for money laundering is a new type of money laundering crime that has emerged in recent years. Lv Wei, the president of the Inner Mongolia branch of the People's Bank of China, stated that enhancing the monitoring and identification capabilities for abnormal fund transactions related to virtual currency trading has helped successfully crack down on a major money laundering case involving virtual currency pyramid schemes, dismantling more than ten money laundering and points-running dens, and confiscating illegal gains of approximately 130 million yuan. In recent years, there have been coordinated efforts to promote the conviction and sentencing of four cases involving money laundering using virtual currency, forming a strong deterrent against illegal activities such as money laundering with virtual currency.

According to a report by Fabien Arnaud from the French media Midi Libre, a resident in Saint-Jean-de-Védas near Montpellier, France, was the victim of a home invasion and extortion related to cryptocurrency. The police acted quickly after the incident and have arrested three suspects.It is reported that the victim had previously encountered a similar violent extortion related to cryptocurrency on April 11 of this year.

Recently, the Beijing Shijingshan police successfully intercepted a new type of cross-border telecom fraud case, freezing 780,000 yuan in involved funds and returning it to the victims. In this case, 53-year-old Mr. Liu received a fraudulent call from abroad while accompanying his child studying overseas. The scammer impersonated domestic police, fabricated false allegations of money laundering, and induced him to urgently request money transfers from his family in China.The funds were subsequently transferred into the accounts of two other Chinese students studying abroad. Upon investigation, it was found that these three individuals were all victims of the same fraud gang, exhibiting characteristics of "multiple scams in one case, with victims serving as money laundering tools for each other." The scammers first transferred funds into the accounts of some victims, then coerced them into exchanging for U currency to assist in the transfer, which was highly concealed and involved complex cross-border links. The police successfully "awakened" the victims through patient persuasion, preventing greater losses.

The West Midlands Police in the UK reported that a young couple was attacked by masked individuals at their residence in Solihull in December 2025 and were forced to transfer a large amount of assets to the criminals' cryptocurrency wallet. The male victim was seriously injured, while the pregnant female victim was threatened with a knife, and the suspects also stole several high-value watches.The police believe this was a premeditated targeted attack, and the UK independent charity "Crimestoppers" is currently offering a reward of up to £10,000 for any information that could lead to the arrest and conviction of the suspects.

The Polish prosecutor's office has charged a former police officer in the case of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange Zondacrypto. The Central Bureau of Cybercrime (CBZC) in Poland detained Artur K. on Tuesday under the orders of the organized crime department of the national prosecutor's office. He faces two charges: one for participating in an organized crime group, and the other for causing significant property losses to BitBay, BB Trade Estonia, and another entity, assisting in the misappropriation of entrusted property, aiding computer fraud, and money laundering. The prosecutor's office stated that a search of his residence uncovered documents related to the operation of the exchange, and he is being questioned as a suspect; the prosecutor's office will decide whether to apply for pre-trial detention.Meanwhile, the police in Katowice are searching and investigating a fuel depot, which is the last known location of Zondacrypto founder Sylwester Suszek before he went missing in March 2022. The case is classified as illegal deprivation of liberty rather than a disappearance, as a suspect has been accused of removing a hard drive from the gas station's surveillance camera.Suszek founded the exchange in Katowice in 2014, originally named BitBay, and relocated its registration to Estonia as BB Trade Estonia in 2020, rebranding it as Zondacrypto, claiming to have 1.3 million customers, most of whom are Polish. The exchange froze withdrawals and went offline in April, and the Estonian Financial Intelligence Unit revoked its operating license on June 29. Since August, at least five people have been charged, including former Polish Olympic Committee president Radosław P. All public respondents have denied the charges, and the related accusations have not yet been tried in court.

According to the Dutch police (politie.nl), the police in eastern Netherlands arrested two men suspected of using counterfeit EURC cryptocurrency to purchase multiple Rolex watches on the second-hand platform Marktplaats. The victims discovered that the tokens they received were counterfeit and worthless after the payment was made.After the case was exposed on the television program "Plaats Delict," the police identified the suspects through viewer reports. The two men are a 24-year-old male from Geleen and a 45-year-old male from Leiden. During the search, firearms and drugs were found at the residence of the former, who has been detained for 14 days; the latter has been released but remains a suspect in the case. The police remind the public to be cautious with cryptocurrency payments and to avoid using unfamiliar payment methods.

The Cyber Investigation Department of the Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Police Agency in South Korea has identified 26 Polymarket users by analyzing public blockchain transaction records and on-chain open-source intelligence, and has filed cases against them for suspected illegal gambling. Among them, 18 have been referred to the prosecution, with a total bet amount of 12.7 million USD, and the highest single user bet reaching 4.1 million USD.The police launched a preliminary investigation in March and began filing cases against the involved individuals in May; the South Korean Communications Commission only ordered the blocking of Polymarket on August 18, and the transactions under investigation occurred while the platform was still accessible. The police are advancing the investigation based on Article 246 of the South Korean Criminal Code.

According to a joint alert issued by the Japanese National Police Agency, FBI, ASD/ACSC, BND, and BfV, the North Korean-backed cyber attack organization "WaterPlum" (also known as Contagious Interview) targets job seekers by disguising itself as an AI, cryptocurrency, and NFT company to post fake job listings. This lures job seekers into downloading NPM packages containing malware such as BeaverTail, InvisibleFerret, and OtterCookie, which then steal cryptocurrency wallet information and confidential data.As of July 2026, the organization has infected over 30,000 devices in more than 100 countries and regions worldwide, stealing information from over 7,000 cryptocurrency wallets, with the wallets under its control receiving at least approximately 1.7 billion yen (about 10.71 million USD) in cryptocurrency. The Japanese National Police Agency has discovered and dismantled a "notebook farm" established by local "supporters" for the first time in the country, where North Korean IT laborers remotely control PCs within the supporters' residences to conduct business, with the related amount involved reaching several hundred million yen.The police and FBI assess that WaterPlum and some North Korean IT laborers are under the unified command of the 313 Bureau of the Ministry of Military Industry of the Workers' Party of Korea, with the profits directly flowing into North Korea's national funding pool. The police remind IT technicians and corporate issuers to remain vigilant and avoid executing third-party code in unverified environments.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) of the United Kingdom, in conjunction with Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the Metropolitan Police Service, conducted raids at multiple locations in London targeting three suspected illegal peer-to-peer cryptocurrency trading venues, issuing cessation notices to the relevant operators, demanding an immediate halt to unregistered cryptocurrency activities.The FCA emphasized that any business engaging in peer-to-peer cryptocurrency trading activities in the UK must complete anti-money laundering registration, and currently, there are no peer-to-peer cryptocurrency trading businesses registered with the FCA within the UK.

According to data submitted by the Korean National Police Agency to Democratic Party member Yoon Kyun-young's office, as of September 15, the Gangwon Provincial Police Agency's Cyber Investigation Team has initiated investigations into 26 Polymarket users, with 18 of them referred to the prosecution. The total betting amount involved is approximately 17.6 billion Korean won, with the highest individual bet being around 5.7 billion Korean won. The police believe that the trading activities on Polymarket clearly constitute illegal gambling.The Korean authorities identified and tracked these users by analyzing publicly available blockchain transaction records using open-source intelligence technology. The Korea Communications Standards Commission decided to block Polymarket on August 18. The KCSC determined that the platform's betting on uncontrollable events and its "winner takes all" profit model fostered a gambling mentality.

The Ukrainian police and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) recently dismantled a scam network that used a fake investment platform to steal cryptocurrency. This network disguised itself as an investment platform website, luring users to connect their main cryptocurrency wallets and approve a small test transaction when withdrawing funds. Subsequently, it used a "wallet stealer" hidden within the website to automatically transfer user funds to wallets controlled by the operators, kicking victims off the platform. Investigators have currently confirmed 62 victims, with over 46 Ukrainian citizens involved, and the network could steal up to $1 million per month.The police stated that the false profits displayed on the platform are part of the scam, with operators manually creating transactions and adjusting user account balances to create the illusion of investment growth. In addition to cryptocurrency, the platform also collected victims' passport information, phone numbers, email addresses, login credentials, and photos during the registration and identity verification process. The main organizer of the network is a 25-year-old IT expert who recruited over 46 Ukrainian citizens and operated multiple offices in Kyiv and surrounding areas, with members responsible for building and maintaining fake websites, contacting potential victims, and providing security.Victims come from multiple countries, including Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Israel. The police traced the gang's server equipment located in the Netherlands and obtained a database stored there, which included a list of victims, cryptocurrency wallet addresses, suspected stolen amounts, internal communications, and platform operation information. The Ukrainian police and SBU subsequently executed 34 searches in Kyiv and surrounding areas, seizing over 100 computers, more than 100 mobile phones, 79 SIM cards, documents, cash, and 15 vehicles.

On Tuesday, the Ukrainian National Police and Security Service announced the dismantling of a fake investment platform network based in Kyiv. This gang stole cryptocurrency from users in over 20 countries through built-in wallet theft tools. Investigators have currently confirmed 62 victims, including citizens from Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Spain, France, the UK, Canada, and Israel. The organizers recruited more than 46 Ukrainians, operating multiple offices in Kyiv and surrounding areas, where developers were responsible for building the fake platform and resisting bans, while other members handled customer service and security.According to the Ukrainian Security Service, the organizer is a 25-year-old IT expert, and the gang's peak monthly revenue reached up to $1 million. The scam began with advertisements for cryptocurrency investment projects on Telegram. After users registered, they connected their wallets and invested funds, while gang members manually forged transactions to show a continuously increasing balance in the user backend. When users requested withdrawals, the platform required them to connect their main wallet and approve a small "test" transaction under the pretext of verification. This authorization immediately triggered the built-in theft tool on the website, transferring assets to wallets controlled by the gang and locking the victims' accounts.Investigators tracked down server equipment storing the gang's database in the Netherlands, which recorded victim information, wallet addresses, stolen amounts, internal communications, and platform operation data, as well as user passports, phone numbers, emails, login passwords, and photos. Police executed 34 searches in Kyiv and surrounding areas, seizing over 100 computers, more than 100 mobile phones, 79 SIM cards, one GSM gateway, cash, and 15 vehicles.

According to Decrypt, the British police confiscated 20.21 bitcoins along with other cryptocurrencies and bank funds, totaling a value of 1.4 million dollars. The individuals involved had previous convictions for money laundering and are now deceased.Investigators traced these assets back to dark web markets that operated from 2016 to 2019 and were later shut down by law enforcement. The police stated that these now-closed websites had facilitated various criminal activities ranging from drug supply to human trafficking, but did not disclose the specific names of the websites.

The Irish National Police (An Garda Síochána) reported that during a special operation against organized crime in the Galway area, police searched two properties and froze two cryptocurrency accounts worth approximately $900,000 in total. In addition, the police also froze a bank account containing €25,000 (approximately $29,100), and seized €9,300 in cash and drugs valued at approximately €18,300 (including amphetamines and cannabis).A man in his 40s involved in the case has been arrested and charged, and the investigation is ongoing.

According to Decrypt, the financial investigation department of the police in Avon and Somerset, UK, has seized 20.21 bitcoins along with other crypto assets and bank account funds, totaling approximately $1.4 million (£1.03 million). Investigators traced the assets to dark web markets that operated between 2016 and 2019, all of which have now been shut down by law enforcement and were involved in criminal activities such as drug supply and human trafficking.This is the largest cryptocurrency seizure operation by the police since the introduction of the cryptocurrency wallet freezing order in the UK in April 2024. This power allows the police to freeze and seize cryptocurrencies without prior arrests, transferring them to wallets controlled by law enforcement, and seizing written passwords or storage devices. The individuals involved had previous money laundering convictions and are now deceased.The police pointed out that every transaction processed by these markets is permanently recorded on the blockchain, serving as a valuable source of evidence. The assets were seized earlier this year under the Proceeds of Crime Act, with the court determining that they represented proceeds from illegal activities, and the recovered funds will be used for community and policing projects.

The Public Security Bureau of Hongkou District, Shanghai, China, recently solved a case involving cross-border illegal settlement and illegal foreign exchange trading using virtual currency, arresting 9 criminal suspects and involving an amount of over 200 million yuan. The suspects, including a person named Li, established a technology company at the beginning of 2024 to seek illegal profits, building two platforms online: "Cross-Border Fund Exchange" and "Virtual Credit Card Issuance and Settlement." They solicited customers both online and offline, illegally conducting exchange and settlement services for virtual currency and cross-border funds, profiting through transaction fees, service fees, card issuance fees, withdrawal fees, and other means.Investigators stated, "The uniqueness of this case lies in the fact that the criminals developed two apps and publicly solicited customers on such a large scale, which has never been seen before. The platforms built in this case are themselves a closed-loop illegal financial service system, with all transactions settled internally on the platform. This mode of crime has a higher degree of scale, a longer chain, and is more deceptive." Reports indicate that on the "Cross-Border Fund Exchange" platform, the criminal gang collected customers' virtual currency overseas and exchanged it for foreign currency, forming a "fund pool," and then realized cross-border settlement through fabricated contracts, achieving the exchange and transfer of virtual currency to RMB. On the "Virtual Credit Card Issuance and Settlement" platform, the criminal gang "cooperated" with several overseas private banks to issue virtual credit cards to customers, who could use the card for consumption, but the repayment process had to be settled in virtual currency; the gang exchanged virtual currency for foreign currency overseas, relying on false cross-border settlements to complete clearing with overseas card merchants.

The Shanghai Public Security Bureau reported the investigation and resolution of a major underground money laundering case involving cross-border currency exchange using virtual currency, arresting more than 70 criminal suspects, with the amount involved exceeding 20 billion yuan.