Bitcoin Forum

Cyber Criminals Netted $4.3B From Crypto-Related Crime in 2019

All these Criminal Acts is giving Crypto a bad name , i think there should be more measures and controls to be put in place in other to curb such occurence.


https://cointelegraph.com/news/cyber-criminals-netted-43b-from-crypto-related-crime-in-2019-study

Crypto used the decentralized system and that is difficult to control it consider anything in the decentralized system will be permanent.
Self regulation doesn't work when it comes to the decentralized ecosystem.
The criminals will not be stopped until all of crypto users will be fully educated about that. It's impossible to control crypto but it's possible to make users will be more educated.

yeah the moment you try to create more control in this space, it would result in more centralization and government involvement. The fact that governments are shitty and corrupt is the exact reason why crypto exists in the first place.

"Prevention is better than cure" that phrase really means something within this topic. I agree with VanDeinsberg12 that the people should be more educated so such cases will be lessen or in the future be gone.

Cyber crimes as related to crypto crimes only. These articles and studies are bias although I know that there's fact in it. However, they are bias in a way that they are describing these crimes related to crypto but how many crimes are occurring daily with credit card frauds? those cyber crimes that are stealing bankers fiat money. These criminals, hackers, scammers will remain to exist, they all came from the traditional financial crimes and now they've just upgraded themselves.

It's not that there were no cyber crimes before the introduction of crypto. But surely it's been easy to move money around with crypto.
There are still many factors involved in cyber crime and money is the ultimate bargain for the criminals. To safeguard ownself from such crimes, we need to be cautious and use preventive measures to insure security of our hardware and software and use latest technology to block any penetrations.

It is really shocking news but true and almost we have nothing to do in this decentralized ecosystem. Crypto currency is almost decentralized and it is known to all

It is due to the nature of this ecosystem. It is open for everyone, everyone is free, there is no limits. And with this also come the downsides: there is no entity that will protect you against hackers, thieves or your mistakes.

I think this will be fine in legal board for discussion.


Anyway, it depends on the angle you are looking at the cyber crime from. Are you including the scam icos as cyber crime too ?
Because, they have actually gulped people's cash with impunity.

Of course hacks and robberies will happen. Security is not that much developed. Although it develops super fast.   I do not see any reason it would give bad name to crypto.  It does not. But those that use crypto need to be aware of it and extra cautious.

When hackers steal fiat money from people via phishing attacks, does it give fiat money a bad name? Art forgery gives art a bad name? Crypto is becoming part of people's daily life, it's normal that some criminals see a niche in it.

While it is unfortunate that so much money has been lost I disagree with the solution you want to implement, we are supposed to be our own bank and while this give to us an incredible amount of freedom it also comes with a huge level of responsibility, each one of us is responsible to take care of our coins because once those coins are no longer in your wallet then it is impossible to recover them but it seems this simple truth is lost on most investors since they do not really try to learn what are the principles behind cryptocurrencies since they are only interested in getting quick profits and nothing more.

This ponzi/pyramid scheme always seems to be a very interesting one to follow, I do not understand why there are still those who can fall into the same hole even though there are already examples like bitconnect. As written in the article, the majority of cyber crime occurs almost 50% from this scheme ($ 2.9B), While the hack case is only around $ 500 Million

I think that means educating normal people is also important aside from security in crypto wallet, exchange, etc. So we cannot blame entirely on crypto because it has a decentralized nature, isn't it?

I tell people that the main reason crypto is yet to be accepted worldwide is because of the high level of fraudulent activities taking place in the crypto market which is giving it a bad name.

I think it is high time we have some crypto police or some global cyber crime agency where all these crimes can be reported and then that authority can investigate and charge the guilty persons and also implement fines and punishments according to the severity of the crime.

Bad name? Come on man, crimes happen. There is nothing you can do to stop it. People commit frauds and crime everyday using fiat currency. Is it giving a "bad" name to those currency? People use prepaid cards and gift cards to hide their identity when selling illegal stuffs online. Are those prepaid cards getting a "bad" name? Just because the crime is related crypto currency the media is exaggerating.

It is true the that a lot cyber criminals are turning to crypto to carry out their schemes because cryptocurrency makes everything easier for them including making deals, and sharing the loots after their successful operations, but without crypto these criminals will exists, so crypto technology is not to be blamed for anyone's wrong doings, It's just like blaming guns and bomb investions because terrorists are also using them.

Based on the article, most cases of crime in the form of hacking exchange, there are also scam projects, that's how the fraudsters try to benefit from the popularity of cryptocurrency. People who have maintained their assets to the maximum sometimes can still lose, especially ordinary people who have not adapted to the cryptocurrency ecosystem. Well, that's how the news plays its role, it should also be reported on the good side of the development of cryptocurrency, how many people have had success with this.

I feel confident knowing that cryptocurrency is better than fiat and will be able to showcase that through stopping these sorts of crimes before they happen. Unlike fiat. I think what Ciphertrace is offering is actually really helpful for the space.

i dont think its exchange that have alot of crime cases but its the ico because there are more numbers of ico when compare to exchanges  , its also detectable if an exchange is fraud and people will mainly use the trendy ones  but its hard to pick a an ico  .

those ordinary people that your talking about are sometimes more cautious enough on what they do because they are scared of hacks and scams while extra ordinary users tend to try new things and love to take risks , so most of them are prone to scams and hacks .

Whenever there is money related there is crime and that is happening in the crypto world. Crypto currency is still new, it is still crawling in the dark in terms of security that is why more and more people are taking advantage of it to commit crimes.

This is one of the reasons why people has been pushing the sec to approve the ETF, at least if approved, it will still have a way to regulate this because it is really becoming very alarming.

Although it is still not as much as the rate of scam that is going on within other systems, and fiat is even the worst but we don’t have to wait till it gets seriously worst before it is being curtailed, and if also not curtailed, it may make the cryptocurrency industry to start having a declined market because investors will lose trust in the system, but that will not stop people from using it genuinely, especially bitcoin, maybe this is the reason why altcoins are really declining and people are beginning to get fed up with it since that is the major place where all manner of scam is coming from really.

This is not the first time Cryptocurrency has been used as a Crime field. All illegal transactions they consider safe with Cryptocurrency, such as Drugs, Weapons, and even Money laundering.

Actually this is an abuse of cryptocurrency. Crypto can be used as a store of value and this is a good thing, but can also be used for criminal activities. Everything depends on the user. Therefore, regulations regarding cryptocurrency are needed to prevent criminal actions in the cryptocurrency market

I agree that in order to prevent fraud and misuse of cryptocurrency, it is necessary to educate the users of the cryptocurrency itself. If cryptocurrency users understand security and usage, I think cryptocurrency owners or investors will be more careful in using or storing it.

Experts are sure that cryptocurrency will become the number one goal of the cybercriminals. They say that the largest part of these crimes is connected with hidden mining. Almost half of the people do not even realize that their computers are used for these attacks. It is mentioned that the number of cyber attacks for cryptocurrencies is constantly growing.

I would really like to know why people seem to gravitate towards using btc still in the dark web versus say privacy coins. Also super fascinating technology from ciphertrace that can track all of that

Because bitcoin is bitcoin - the most accepted and recognized cryptocurrency. Also it's the most stable one.

 Privacy coins are great I agree with you but they are still altcoins. You need a wallet that supports them and you need your partner to also have it and know how to handle this privacy coin. Almost everyone accepts bitcoin first and then try new altcoins.

Every good technology will always be used in criminal ways no doubt about it,even fiat is facing the same thing so its not a big deal to me,i wonder why crime is not giving fiat bad name when millions of criminals are using fiats as source to fund their organizations,the difference is there is good people and there is bad people its simple as that

But you know that's impossible. It will not be possible to regulate crypto, because it is decentralized. We have to pump their cyber literacy to avoid becoming a victim of criminals.

I do not know how but there has to be a way to curb cybercrime for cryptocurrency to even get a breather not to talk of being regulated. Many people do not take cryptocurrency serious because they do not believe it is secure enough and that perception has stunted its growth over the last few years.

Crypto crime rates aren't higher than fiat money crime rates. Mainstream media like to show crypto in a bad light because it's a novelty that undermines their long trust in their governments and fiat money.

Don't you know that governments control most of their media outlets? There's really not many channels that aren't pushing their own political agenda or the agenda of whoever pays more.

This is the only way to diminish the crimes in the market of cryptocurrencies, people are so used to rely in a centralized party that they have forgotten how to protect themselves, this was in fact the main appeal of banks since people were unable to protect their own money but now that we have recovered our independence from banks thanks to bitcoin then we need to do our best to protect our coins, however taking into account what I see I will not be surprised if in the future people once again exchange their freedom for security when they deposit their coins in a bitcoin bank.

There are crimes in any ways even with that FIAT system.
What is great with cryptocurrency is connected to blockchain system which transactions cannot be deleted and stays there forever.
Unlike in the system we have now in every country which can be manipulated.

Generally speaking criminal acts can't be entirely prevented, although the rate at which crypto related cyber crimes keep occurring is escalating. Recently, plus token made away with a huge sum of money, I pity the victims. Funny enough even with the awareness, people still fall victim to some scam investment platforms which are obviously ponzi schemes in a bit to double their money (greed).  The worst is hackers doing away with hard earned money of crypto enthusiasts, kidnappers requesting for crypto payments and other crypto related cyber crimes. Some argue that regulations will curb this but I don't think it will have great effect after doing my analysis.

Crimes happening through cyberspace is there even before the existence of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Over the days after cryptocurrencies into usage criminals have got an easier access. Earlier there were more and more criminal activities that were done in exchange for bitcoin. Over the days its usage on illegal needs and on criminal activities have decreased a lot and the importance as an investment and as an alternate for fiat have increased big.

Any area of human life today is susceptible to attacks by cyber criminals. This is due primarily to the fact that computers are very closely entered into our lives.
Cryptocurrencies exist in the computer world, so they are most prone to crypto threats. Here and the usual deception, and hacker attacks and viruses and much more. Be careful and do not neglect your computer security.

Mitigating cyber crime would have been easier if the tenets of cryptocurrency have not been architectured to evade the long arms of the law. Decentralization and blockchain technology makes it difficult to track the digital prints of an offender

Yes, naturally criminals will use them like they did use cash before. That doesn't make cryptos bad. It just proves that they are good cencorship resistant currencies like cash was. Difference being that this has a way better change to go up in value because it doesn't get printed more and it's borderless.

No matter what people think about crypto, it has come to stay as it has loads of solutions to offer as it is now a global phenomena that people cannot deny. crypto is the best thing that has happened to the technological space and also has given so many investors enough reason to take advantage of investment opportunities. Blockchain is here to stay.

Cybercrime has been in the world for ages even before cryptocurrency created, In real world cyber crime netted more than $4.3B and is that any impact with fiat money? Nothing. Same like crypto if people use it for any illegal reason, will any impact to crypto?? Nothing, people always believe crypto

It's not about crypto but it's about people who use crypto in bad thing

Giving crypto bad name?? Seriusly, all people now crypto is great not bad, if people using it for bad action not means will give bad image, because crypto or money is only dead things. You can use it for good thing or bad thing. So Cyber crimes not related to cryptocurrency but with personality

No wonder there are regulations against crypto in some countries. Although, some have now started embracing it and making good use of the technology in particular, to solve economic problems in their various countries.
Although, at some points you might not be able to separate both, except you are able to totally curb the former.

This is one of the reason why some people even the government doesn't believe and trust crypto because it is being used for illegal activities. I even heard that crypto are being used in the black market well especially that it is public yet we will never know the identity of the person but I guess I would agree on some statements that it should be regulated.

Will be hard to stop the cyber crimes because they are smart guys and the number of hackers attacking grows each day. The best thing we can do is to put our coins in a secure place, we can put them on papers wallet or some option out of the network.

We can be sure the number of crimes will grow in the next years.

Crypto crimes are increasing day by day. They have been using it as a crime tool, doing exit scams, hacks, etc. Criminals are actually dragging the crypto's name and putting a bad reputation into it. In our country, bitcoin and other related crypto thing hasn't been had a good name to hear for most of the people here. It's because scammers are using crypto to attract innocent people.

That is so pathetic here in Nigeria that even the security agencies regard you as an internet fraudster once they see you having any thing cryptocurrency wallet on your phone.

Although there are series of bad people in cryptocurrency world but IEO is a measure taken to limit their activities.

"Prevention is better than cure" that phrase really means something within this topic. I agree with VanDeinsberg12 that the people should be more educated so such cases will be lessen or in the future be gone.

The crimes will always try to run with or without crypto, and there will be more things to be used for illegal activity. We cannot do anything, but we could use crypto or fiat as for good things, so we don't break any law in our country or other countries. So let we use crypto for a good thing, and we can also ask other people who use crypto for good things too like us.

I think the law will try to catch every people who use crypto for bad things and they have unlimited sources to find them, and it's only a matter of time to see they can catch the people.

Cyber crimes as related to crypto crimes only. These articles and studies are bias although I know that there's fact in it. However, they are bias in a way that they are describing these crimes related to crypto but how many crimes are occurring daily with credit card frauds? those cyber crimes that are stealing bankers fiat money. These criminals, hackers, scammers will remain to exist, they all came from the traditional financial crimes and now they've just upgraded themselves

Because crypto payments are not easily traceable or reversible, a lot cyber crimes are perpetrated through it, a particular wallet can be holding several million dollar worth of bitcoin without knowing who owns it which is different from other forms of currency. Not a good one for crypto but we hope for an improvement and a better security of the system

yes that is if crypto is not used properly, many use crypto as a bad thing and harm many people, especially crypto users. because of what I know the criterion is not bound by law, so many are using it for things that are not good. then we as crypto users must maintain and utilize it properly and as well as possible.

Cyber crime is not only related to crypto crime only it relates to the all social media pros and cons. I would like to say that prevention is better than cure.The people who are familiar with crypto currency should be more educated and aware about cyber crime so that such cases will be leesen or on future there will be no chances of happening such activities.

You are right mate, but the beauty of this technology is the blockchain itself. Therefore, we cannot have cryptocurrency without block chain. Also, talking about decentralization, it is not exactly the problem, because it could have been regulated, if they wanted to. KYC is one of such measures.

Cyber criminals are those that make people scared to invest in crypto. But the problem is since there are no regulations regarding crypto, there is no one to deal with these criminals.

I don't think that the cryptography wanted to evade the long arms of the law. It was design to be an alternative to the current fiat system. But everything went on the opposite direction when people started to used it with bad intent. How many times do we heard that authorities are saying that crypto are flowing freely in the dark net such as Silkroad? And this is a ongoing battle, a cat and mouse between bad actors in the cyberspace and between government hunting them down. I guess authorities doesn't have a success rate as we have seen few reports of cyber criminals being caught.

That's too much money, isn't there a team of anti cyber crime internationally? I hope it will be at the discussion table of the countries that are dragged in to this, this isa big matter not taken light of.

Investors will not be afraid of cybercriminals as long as they know how to protect their assets. The proof that they are not afraid of these criminals is seen from many of them who invest in Bitcoin and not affected by those issues. Indeed, there are no regulations on bitcoin so we must also be careful dealing with these criminals by always ensuring the safety of assets.

Blockchain should extremely help against crypto crimes since you cant copy digital asset published on blockchain.  You can copy a picture or a program and steal it easily. But internet is build as it is build. It is impossible to change that since got built from 90ties and even before. Internet security should be implemented on base layer. Same as it is unacceptability in Monero. You will not achieve it on second or third layer even if you will try it. Same as we fail with internet security.  

This will definitely happen when the cryptocurrency is legalized by most states and then the issue of the general protection by states of their citizens from cybercriminals will naturally become a question. This evil can only be combated together and only by the joint efforts of the state law enforcement agencies, given that these crimes are almost always international in nature.
Today, cybercrime is a very big problem for cryptocurrency users, and especially beginners in cryptocurrency.

When crypto isn't regulated yet then the criminals will always be aiming crypto users and i had read the article above that most of hackers stole bitcoin from the exchange and crypto users and i think government should be more concern about this because it's very detrimental to many people and government purpose should be protect their citizen

investors know how they secure their wallets, so if that step is understood, there is no need to worry anymore about losing assets from the criminal acts of criminals. criminals get access to our wallet because we are allowed to follow the directions of those we don't realize, it becomes a trap and our wallets become threatened

many actions have been taken to prevent this. of course law enforcement will continue to search for, and track down anyone involved in this crime.

however, we need to know that events like this are indeed very difficult to stop. there are trillions of humans at the moment, and we don't know who will commit crimes in the crypto world, even this isn't just happening in the crypto world even in the real world.

this is new news that I got, and it happens in the real world, but it is related to crypto.

https://cointelegraph.com/news/two-masked-thieves-caught-on-tape-stealing-bitcoin-atm-in-the-us

I think it is difficult to ensnare scammers in the cryptocurrency market because there are still not many countries that regulate it. Without regulation, it is difficult for law enforcement to imprison fraudsters and this is the bad side of the cryptocurrency market but I think in the future more and more countries will regulate the cryptocurrency market

Crypto-related crime has taken place randomly lately with the popularity of cryptocurrency growing. According to the article, it has reached $4.3 billion in 2019, which will obviously tarnish the entire crypto space. In order to curb crypto-related crime, regulations must be in place at the earliest.

This is one of the major shortcomings of decentralization as it accords each individual total control of their financial behaviour online. With centralization, however, there is a limit to what each person can do and also a watchdog continuously monitoring the movement of money between wallets. If crypto will ever get legalized, then it will have to be centralized to a point where security can monitor all transactions to prevent cybercrimes like this

Most of these Crypto-related cyber crimes occur on centralized platforms. And it's possible that most of the loses come from CEXes.

Crypto is all about decentralization and people controlling their own funds. If you hand over your fund to centralized platforms and it gets stolen then blame centralization & not decentralization. Crypto decentralized model aims to reduce the number of unauthorized access to people funds especially without their consent.
Keep your decentralized cryptocurrencies safely and nobody will take it from you.

Hopefully we will have reversible features built on top of Blockchains to enable those who make transfer mistakes and other kind of mistakes to effortlessly reverse their stolen or lost funds