FBI DISRUPTS VIRTUAL CURRENCY EXCHANGES USED TO FACILITATE CRIMINAL ACTIVITY
2023-05-01 · Press release
DETROIT - On April 25th, the FBI’s Detroit Field Office, with assistance from the Virtual Currency Response Team (VCRT), the Cyber Police Department and Main Investigation Departments of the National Police of Ukraine, and the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine conducted coordinated, court authorized activity involving nine virtual currency exchange services.
Domain names offered by organizations which were engaged in cryptocurrency conversions and provided assistance to cyber-criminals were seized, and related servers were shut down. U.S. based servers used in the scheme were taken offline by U.S. authorities. These nine seized domains, 24xbtc.com, 100btc.pro, pridechange.com, 101crypta.com, uxbtc.com, trust-exchange.org, bitcoin24.exchange, paybtc.pro, and owl.gold offered anonymous cryptocurrency exchange services to website visitors.
Noncompliant virtual currency exchanges, which have a lax anti-money laundering program or collect minimal Know Your Customer information or none at all, serve as important hubs in the cybercrime ecosystem and are operating in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Sections 1960 and 1956. Many of these services are advertised on online forums dedicated to discussing criminal activity. By providing these services, the virtual currency exchanges knowingly support the criminal activities of their clients and become co-conspirators in criminal schemes.
Much of the criminal activity occurring at the affected exchanges involved cyber actors responsible for ransomware, but also other scammers, and cybercriminals. The service’s website offered support in both Russian and English.
The investigation is ongoing. Visitors to the sites will now find a seizure banner that notifies them that the domain name has been seized by federal authorities and operating an unlicensed money service business and facilitating money laundering is a federal crime.
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- ["18 U.S.C. \u00a7 1960", "18 U.S.C. \u00a7 1956"]
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- https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmi/pr/fbi-disrupts-virtual-currency-exchanges-used-facilitate-criminal-activity
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| participant_id | name | role | title | organization | location | age | nationality | status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1554 | FBI’s Detroit Field Office | conducted coordinated, court authorized activity | Federal Bureau of Investigation | Detroit, Michigan | ||||
| 1555 | Virtual Currency Response Team (VCRT) | assistance | FBI | |||||
| 1556 | Cyber Police Department of the National Police of Ukraine | assistance | National Police of Ukraine | Ukraine | ||||
| 1557 | Main Investigation Departments of the National Police of Ukraine | assistance | National Police of Ukraine | Ukraine | ||||
| 1558 | Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine | assistance | Ukraine Government | Ukraine |
| agency_id | agency_name | abbreviation | role | office_location | agents_mentioned | contribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 935 | Federal Bureau of Investigation | FBI | investigation | Detroit Field Office | Conducted coordinated activity involving seizure of domains and servers through its Detroit Field Office | |
| 936 | Virtual Currency Response Team | VCRT | assistance | Provided assistance in the coordinated activity | ||
| 937 | National Police of Ukraine | assistance | Cyber Police Department and Main Investigation Departments | Collaborated in the coordinated activity through their Cyber Police and Main Investigation Departments | ||
| 938 | Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine | assistance | Participated in the coordinated enforcement activity |
| charge_id | charge_description | statute | severity | max_penalty | fine_amount | defendant | status | participant_id | cl_docket_id | count_num | is_1960 | verified_1960 | source | updated_at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 753 | Money Laundering | 18 U.S.C. § 1956 | 0 | enrichment | ||||||||||
| 752 | Operating an Unlicensed Money Transmitting Business | 18 U.S.C. § 1960 | 1 | enrichment | 2026-09-16T19:43:13+00:00 |
| fin_id | action_type | amount | currency | description | asset_type | defendant | status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 241 | seizure | Domain names: 24xbtc.com, 100btc.pro, pridechange.com, 101crypta.com, uxbtc.com, trust-exchange.org, bitcoin24.exchange, paybtc.pro, and owl.gold | domains | completed | |||
| 242 | seizure | U.S. based servers used in the scheme | servers | completed |
| victim_id | victim_type | description | number_affected | loss_amount | geographic_scope | vulnerability_factors | impact_description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 216 |
| quote_id | quote_text | speaker_name | speaker_title | speaker_organization | quote_type | context | significance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 637 | Noncompliant virtual currency exchanges, which have a lax anti-money laundering program or collect minimal Know Your Customer information or none at all, serve as important hubs in the cybercrime ecosystem and are operating in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Sections 1960 and 1956. | statement | Explanation of the role of noncompliant virtual currency exchanges in facilitating criminal activity | Highlights the legal violations and the role of these exchanges in cybercrime | |||
| 638 | By providing these services, the virtual currency exchanges knowingly support the criminal activities of their clients and become co-conspirators in criminal schemes. | statement | Description of the complicity of virtual currency exchanges in criminal activities | Emphasizes the legal and ethical implications for the exchanges | |||
| 639 | Visitors to the sites will now find a seizure banner that notifies them that the domain name has been seized by federal authorities and operating an unlicensed money service business and facilitating money laundering is a federal crime. | statement | Notification to visitors of the seized domains | Informs the public about the legal consequences of the actions taken |
| theme_id | theme_name | description | significance | related_statutes | geographic_scope | temporal_aspects | stakeholders |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 882 | Virtual Currency Exchanges | Anonymous cryptocurrency exchange services provided to website visitors, used by cybercriminals for facilitating criminal activities. | Serve as hubs in the cybercrime ecosystem, enabling criminal transactions. | 18 U.S.C. § 1960, 18 U.S.C. § 1956 | International | Recent development | Law enforcement, Cybercriminals, Victims |
| 883 | Money Laundering | Noncompliant exchanges violating anti-money laundering laws by lacking proper programs and KYC measures. | Facilitates illegal financial transactions, making them co-conspirators in crimes. | 18 U.S.C. § 1960, 18 U.S.C. § 1956 | International | Historical trend | Financial institutions, Law enforcement, Regulators |
| 884 | Cybercrime and Ransomware | Exchanges used by cyber actors involved in ransomware and other scams. | Enables cybercriminals to monetize their attacks through anonymous transactions. | International | Recent development | Cybercriminals, Victims, Law enforcement | |
| 885 | International Cooperation | Collaboration between FBI and Ukrainian authorities to disrupt the exchanges. | Essential for tackling cross-border criminal activities. | International | Ongoing | U.S. Law enforcement, Ukrainian National Police, Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office | |
| 886 | Legal Enforcement Actions | Seizure of domains and servers, issuance of seizure banners. | Disrupts criminal operations and serves as a deterrent. | 18 U.S.C. § 1960, 18 U.S.C. § 1956 | International | Recent development | Law enforcement, Victims, Cybercriminals |
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