Tag: Bitfinex

There are two main ways criminals obtain cryptocurrency: stealing it directly, or using a scheme to trick people into handing it over . In 2021, crypto criminals directly stole a record US$3.2 billion (A$4.48 billion) worth of cryptocurrency, according to Chainalysis. That’s a fivefold increase from 2020.

According to Chainalysis, a record $14 billion in crypto was stolen in 2021, mainly through DeFi or decentralized-finance trading platforms. But major exchanges also have been hacked, including the infamous Mt. Gox in 2014, which lost more than 850,000 Bitcoins, worth $450 million at the time.

In August, 2016, a hacker stole 119,754 bitcoin from a cryptocurrency exchange called Bitfinex. On Tuesday, in Manhattan, a young married couple, Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan , appeared in federal court, charged with attempting to launder the proceeds of that crime.

In fact, when you look at the number of crypto transactions that occur each day and how many of them are fraudulent, crypto crime is actually falling as a proportion of crypto activity overall . Of 15.8 trillion in total transactions in 2021, just 0.15% were illicit.

While cryptocurrencies have a reputation for being anonymous, all transactions are recorded on a permanent, public ledger. Criminals launder money to prevent authorities from tracing the source of illicit funds . However, if they make one mistake along the way, their entire scheme can be undone.

Follow our live coverage of the crypto market But the main cause of the slump appears to be a plunge in the stock market amid concerns of a potential hike in interest rates by the US Federal Reserve .