84 Arrested as Russian Ransomware Laundering Networks Disrupted

Operation Destabilise was a major international operation led by the UK's National Crime Agency NCA to dismantle two Russian-speaking criminal networks: Smart and TGR. These networks were backbone in laundering billions of dollars for various criminal activities...

NCA Busts Russian Crypto Networks Laundering Funds and Evading Sanctions

The U.K. National Crime Agency NCA on Wednesday announced that it led an international investigation to disrupt Russian money laundering networks that were found to facilitate serious and organized crime across the U.K., the Middle East, Russia, and South America. The effort, codenamed Operation...

She Was a Russian Socialite and Influencer. Cops Say She’s a Crypto Laundering Kingpin

Western authorities say they’ve identified a network that found a new way to clean drug gangs’ dirty cash. WIRED gained exclusive access to the investigation...

Europol Dismantles Criminal Messaging Service MATRIX in Major Global Takedown

Europol on Tuesday announced the takedown of an invite-only encrypted messaging service called MATRIX that's created by criminals for criminal purposes. The joint operation, conducted by French and Dutch authorities under the moniker Passionflower, comes in the aftermath of an investigation that...

Bitfinex Hacker Sentenced to 5 Years, Guilty of Laundering $10.5 Billion in Bitcoin

Ilya Lichtenstein, who pleaded guilty to the 2016 hack of cryptocurrency stock exchange Bitfinex, has been sentenced to five years in prison, the U.S. Department of Justice DoJ announced Thursday. Lichtenstein was charged for his involvement in a money laundering scheme that led to the theft of...

Сrimeware and financial cyberthreats in 2025

Kaspersky's Global Research and Analysis Team constantly monitors known and emerging cyberthreats directed at the financial industry, with banks and fintech companies being the most targeted. We also closely follow threats that aim to infiltrate a wider range of industries, namely ransomware...

Bitcoin Fog Operator Gets 12.5 Years for Longest-Running Bitcoin Laundering

Bitcoin Fog operator sentenced to 12.5 years for laundering $400M in crypto. The dark web's longest-running mixer processed…...

Bitcoin Fog Founder Sentenced to 12 Years for Cryptocurrency Money Laundering

The 36-year-old founder of the Bitcoin Fog cryptocurrency mixer has been sentenced to 12 years and six months in prison for facilitating money laundering activities between 2011 and 2021. Roman Sterlingov, a dual Russian-Swedish national, pleaded guilty to charges of money laundering and operatin...

Europol warns about counterfeit goods and the criminals behind them

With the holidays around the bend, many are looking for gifts for their family and friends. And since we somehow decided we want to give more each time, we’re also looking for good deals. But European law enforcement agency Europol issued a warning about buying fake goods. Sure, they are cheaper,...

Four REvil Ransomware Members Sentenced in Rare Russian Cybercrime Convictions

Four members of the now-defunct REvil ransomware operation have been sentenced to several years in prison in Russia, marking one of the rare instances where cybercriminals from the country have been convicted of hacking and money laundering charges. Russian news publication Kommersant reported th...

U.S. Sanctions Two Crypto Exchanges for Facilitating Cybercrime and Money Laundering

The U.S. government on Thursday sanctioned two cryptocurrency exchanges and unsealed an indictment against a Russian national for his alleged involvement in the operation of several money laundering services that were offered to cybercriminals. The virtual currency exchanges, Cryptex and PM2BTC,...

Telegram Agrees to Share User Data With Authorities for Criminal Investigations

In a major policy reversal, the popular messaging app Telegram has announced it will give users' IP addresses and phone numbers to authorities in response to valid legal requests in an attempt to rein in criminal activity on the platform. "We've made it clear that the IP addresses and phone numbe...

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov’s Arrest Linked to Sweeping Criminal Investigation

French authorities detained Durov to question him as part of a probe into a wide range of alleged violations—including money laundering and CSAM—but it remains unclear if he will face charges...

Latvian Hacker Extradited to U.S. for Role in Karakurt Cybercrime Group

A 33-year-old Latvian national living in Moscow, Russia, has been charged in the U.S. for allegedly stealing data, extorting victims, and laundering ransom payments since August 2021. Deniss Zolotarjovs aka Sforzacesarini has been charged with conspiring to commit money laundering, wire fraud and...

INTERPOL Recovers $41 Million in Largest Ever BEC Scam in Singapore

INTERPOL said it devised a "global stop-payment mechanism" that helped facilitate the largest-ever recovery of funds defrauded in a business email compromise BEC scam. The development comes after an unnamed commodity firm based in Singapore fell victim to a BEC scam in mid-July 2024. It refers to...

U.S. DoJ Indicts North Korean Hacker for Ransomware Attacks on Hospitals

The U.S. Department of Justice DoJ on Thursday unsealed an indictment against a North Korean military intelligence operative for allegedly carrying out ransomware attacks against healthcare facilities in the country and funneling the payments to orchestrate additional intrusions into defense,...

Experts Uncover Chinese Cybercrime Network Behind Gambling and Human Trafficking

--- The relationship between various TDSs and DNS associated with Vigorish Viper and the final landing experience for the user A Chinese organized crime syndicate with links to money laundering and human trafficking across Southeast Asia has been using an advanced "technology suite" that runs the...

An In-Depth Look at Crypto-Crime in 2023 Part 2

In 2023, the cryptocurrency industry faced a significant increase in illicit activities, including money laundering, fraud, and ransomware attacks. Ransomware attacks were especially prevalent and profitable for attackers. However, other forms of criminal activity also saw a rise...

HuiOne Guarantee: The $11 Billion Cybercrime Hub of Southeast Asia

Cryptocurrency analysts have shed light on an online marketplace called HuiOne Guarantee that's widely used by cybercriminals in Southeast Asia, particularly those linked to pig butchering scams. "Merchants on the platform offer technology, data, and money laundering services, and have engaged in...

4 FIN9-linked Vietnamese Hackers Indicted in $71M U.S. Cybercrime Spree

Four Vietnamese nationals with ties to the FIN9 cybercrime group have been indicted in the U.S. for their involvement in a series of computer intrusions that caused over $71 million in losses to companies. The defendants, Ta Van Tai aka Quynh Hoa and Bich Thuy, Nguyen Viet Quoc aka Tien Nguyen,...