Crypto Crime News

French police have arrested more than a dozen individuals, including minors, in connection with a string of crypto-related kidnapping cases that have shaken Paris in recent weeks.

A bizarre cyberattack involving the hacked Instagram account of hip-hop group Migos has surfaced, allegedly as part of an attempted extortion scheme aimed at Solana co-founder Raj Gokal.

A federal judge has thrown out major fraud charges against Avraham Eisenberg, the trader accused of draining millions from DeFi platform Mango Markets, citing jurisdictional flaws in the government’s case.

An Italian man narrowly escaped a harrowing ordeal in New York after being kidnapped and tortured in an alleged scheme to extract access to his digital wealth.

A Massachusetts man has been handed a six-year prison sentence after federal authorities exposed his unlicensed crypto operation, which laundered over $1 million under the guise of a vending machine business.

The decentralized exchange Cetus, built on the Sui blockchain, has been hit with one of the largest DeFi exploits of the year, losing over $220 million in crypto assets.

An effort by Bitcoin SV investors to seek billions in compensation from major crypto exchanges has largely fallen flat in the UK Court of Appeal.

Panic swept through decentralized markets on Thursday after a suspected vulnerability in Cetus Protocol triggered a massive liquidity drain across several Sui-based tokens.

A previously undisclosed security breach has exposed sensitive user data of nearly 70,000 Coinbase customers, following what appears to be an internal compromise involving bribed support staff.

Braden Karony, once the public face of SafeMoon, has been found guilty in a major fraud case involving the misuse of billions in investor funds.

A data breach at Coinbase has triggered serious concerns after attackers accessed private user details—including home addresses—by bribing outsourced customer support staff.

Just days after securing its place in the S&P 500, Coinbase is now under federal investigation following a major security breach that exposed the personal data of several high-profile users.

Vladimir Smerkis, a key figure behind the crypto-powered Telegram Mini App Blum, has been arrested in Moscow amid allegations of large-scale fraud, according to Russian media reports.

As wealth in the cryptocurrency sector continues to grow, so do the dangers facing its most prominent players.

Hong Kong authorities have dismantled a sophisticated money laundering network accused of channeling over HK$118 million (USD $15 million) through a web of local bank accounts and crypto exchange shops.

A high-profile investigation into one of the largest cryptocurrency fraud operations this year has led to the arrest of a Wellington man, as authorities across New Zealand and the United States crack down on cross-border cybercrime.

As digital assets surge back into the spotlight, cybercriminals are ramping up their efforts—this time targeting major crypto exchanges.

A new breed of cyberattack is gaining traction, blending social engineering with AI-generated deepfakes to target government workers and crypto leaders.

A cybercrime crew composed mostly of California-based youth has been indicted for orchestrating a massive crypto heist, stealing over $260 million in Bitcoin and laundering it through an elaborate web of digital tactics and real-world crimes.

A group of investors has filed a lawsuit against Jonathan Mills, the founder of the Hashling NFT project, alleging he misappropriated millions raised through NFT sales and a connected Bitcoin mining venture.

Authorities in Europe have dismantled a major organized crime operation that used cryptocurrency to move tens of millions in illicit funds for drug and human trafficking networks.

A massive cybercrime marketplace run primarily through Telegram has been dismantled, marking a major blow to crypto-enabled fraud networks across Asia.

A daylight kidnapping attempt in Paris has escalated fears over the safety of crypto executives and their families, following a string of similar incidents in France.

A U.S. court has handed down a 30-year prison sentence to Mohammed Azharuddin Chhipa, who was found guilty of financing terrorism through cryptocurrency.

A major chapter in crypto’s legal reckoning closed this week as Alex Mashinsky, once a prominent name in digital lending, received a 12-year prison sentence.

Former Celsius CEO Alex Mashinsky is asking for a significantly reduced prison sentence ahead of his May 8 sentencing, with his legal team pushing back hard against the U.S. Department of Justice’s call for a 20-year term.

The legal battle against the creators of Samourai Wallet has taken a sharp turn, as defense attorneys accuse federal prosecutors of suppressing a key legal interpretation from the Treasury Department that could dismantle the core of the government’s case.

A decades-long Bitcoin holder has reportedly lost over $300 million in a devastating crypto theft — one of the largest in recent memory.

In a cybersecurity twist that sounds more like espionage fiction than reality, Kraken recently intercepted an attempted infiltration by a North Korean hacker—disguised as a job seeker.

A massive crypto theft has rocked the community, with a staggering $330 million in Bitcoin stolen in a sophisticated scam now believed to be the result of social engineering.

Avraham Eisenberg, known for orchestrating the 2022 Mango Markets exploit, has been handed a 52-month prison sentence—but not for his crypto-related activities.

Loopscale, a decentralized finance platform built on Solana, was forced to pause its lending operations after a major security breach led to losses of around $5.8 million.

Alex Mashinsky, co-founder and former CEO of the defunct crypto lending platform Celsius, is scheduled to be sentenced on May 8, 2025, following his guilty plea to two federal criminal charges late last year.

A decentralized exchange targeted in a multi-million-dollar exploit has recovered its losses just days after the incident, thanks to an unexpected twist involving the hacker themselves.

A recent cyberattack targeting a UK government official’s social media account has highlighted ongoing concerns over digital impersonation and crypto scams.

A former NFT trader is facing potential prison time after admitting to hiding millions in profits from the IRS through undeclared sales of high-value digital assets.

Cybersecurity researchers are sounding the alarm after discovering a new and increasingly sophisticated attack targeting the crypto community.

Australia’s efforts to combat crypto-related fraud have intensified, with the country’s Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) targeting 95 companies allegedly involved in deceptive schemes like pig butchering scams.

Spanish police have busted a criminal network that used AI to run a global investment scam, arresting six individuals linked to the operation.

Mike McGlone, a senior commodity strategist at Bloomberg, has stirred the crypto community with his latest prediction about Bitcoin’s future price movement.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has announced new sanctions targeting a financial network that supports the Houthis, a group backed by Iran that has been responsible for numerous attacks on vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

A U.S. woman recently became the victim of a major cryptocurrency scam, losing millions of dollars after falling for a well-crafted deception.

The first quarter of 2025 has been marked by a significant surge in crypto hacks, with losses totaling over $1.63 billion.

In the past two weeks, Coinbase users may have fallen victim to phishing schemes resulting in an estimated $46 million in losses, as malicious actors continue to exploit the growing interest in cryptocurrency.

A South Korean court recently handed down prison sentences to three individuals involved in a cryptocurrency investment scam that defrauded investors of approximately $460,000.

Indian authorities recently apprehended five individuals, including one woman, involved in a sophisticated crypto scam that defrauded a businessman of nearly $700,000.

Ben Armstrong, known in the crypto community as BitBoy, has recently been arrested in Florida, creating waves throughout the digital currency space.

A security flaw in Abracadabra’s smart contracts has led to a major exploit, with a hacker draining around 6,262 ETH—valued at roughly $13 million—from the protocol’s liquidity pools.

Cryptocurrency scams are becoming an increasing threat as the market grows, with fraudsters creating fake platforms to lure unsuspecting investors.

Zoth, a platform specializing in re-staking real-world assets (RWA), has suffered a significant security breach, resulting in the theft of over $8.4 million in crypto.

Aleksei Andriunin, the CEO of Gotbit, a cryptocurrency market-making platform, has reached a plea agreement with U.S. authorities after being accused of manipulating cryptocurrency markets.

South Korean authorities have launched an investigation into cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb, conducting a raid at its headquarters in connection with allegations that company funds were improperly used to finance real estate purchases by its former CEO.

Microsoft’s security team has recently uncovered a remote access trojan (RAT) targeting cryptocurrency wallets used in Google Chrome.

A surge in phishing emails is hitting crypto users, with scammers posing as Coinbase and Gemini to steal funds.

On Friday, officials from Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) uncovered a significant illegal crypto mining operation, seizing 63 mining machines valued at approximately 2 million baht ($60,000).

Blockchain analytics firm Bubblemaps has uncovered evidence that Hayden Davis, the fugitive behind the LIBRA project and wanted by Interpol, may be the mastermind behind a newly launched cryptocurrency called WOLF.

A law enforcement officer in the UK has found himself in serious legal trouble, facing multiple charges after allegedly stealing a substantial amount of Bitcoin during a 2017 investigation.

An american has been sentenced to over seven years in prison for his involvement in a large-scale drug trafficking operation that relied on cryptocurrency for payments and money laundering.

A former Bank of America employee has admitted to playing a role in an international money laundering network that funneled millions of dollars through fraudulent bank accounts, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

An international arrest warrant has been requested for Hayden Davis, co-creator of the LIBRA token, which became the center of a major political scandal in Argentina.