Why criminals prefer cash (Fiat) on top of crypto?

[Abiky]

As of late, crypto has become extremely popular due to the negative effects of COVID-19 in the mainstream economy. People are starting to consider crypto to be a safe-haven against the traditional monetary system empowered by banks worldwide. Yet, the vast majority still relies on Fiat for day-to-day transactions because of its price stability and widespread acceptance in the mainstream world.

With the advent of privacy coins, people can enjoy true financial freedom like never before. Privacy coins can become attractive tools for illicit activities because of their untraceable blockchain ledger. Despite all of the benefits privacy coins provide, criminals still rely on Fiat for all of their nefarious actions. I'm starting to wonder why, since Fiat (physical cash) is not as anonymous as one thought it would be. Privacy coins are truly anonymous (especially those that are private by default like Monero and Grin), as there is no central authority behind them. Maybe criminals prefer Fiat because of its high level of adoption in the mainstream world? Or maybe because Fiat has an easier learning curve than crypto?

If by any means criminals start adopting crypto in mass (especially privacy coins), we could expect a full government crackdown on the entire industry. Which is why I think it's best for criminals to continue using Fiat for the sake of the crypto/Blockchain industry's growth worldwide. But we'll never know what will happen in the future. Thoughts?

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[o_e_l_e_o]

Privacy coins are truly anonymous (especially those that are private by default like Monero and Grin)

No, they aren't. It is near impossible (if not actually impossible) to be anonymous on the internet.

If you host your own Monero node, run it via Tor, buy your Monero using untraceable cash which you anonymously send to your trading partner without ever revealing any personal information, etc., etc., then yes, using Monero brings you very close to anonymity. Simply buying and using Monero does not, as you can and will leak your information in a hundred other ways, from KYC tracking to IP addresses to browser fingerprints to other currencies you trade to and from.

Maybe criminals prefer Fiat because of its high level of adoption in the mainstream world?

Probably. Much easier to launder something which can be spent anywhere and everywhere than something which can only be spent or converted to cash in a small handful of places, none of which will be able to accommodate the significant sums of money criminals will be trying to launder without KYC demands.

[harizen]

Maybe convenience. Less hassle of acquiring the funds instead of converting crypto to fiat which requires crypto exchange service and mandatory KYC or by means of P2P. There's also a mandatory KYC in fiat payment processors however these things shouldn't be a problem now for criminals as it was part of the system even way back.

Or maybe because Fiat has an easier learning curve than crypto?

No doubt, one of the reasons. Somehow, people need to know the basic technicalities first of how to use bitcoin in general.

And even for let's say they are familiar, still, they found the usual payment system is more user-friendly compare dealing in a bitcoin transaction.

[jrrsparkles]

Liquidating the privacy coins into fiat cash is one of the biggest barrier to them because they can't stay completely anonymous while using internet at some point they will leave their traces which could be never erasable.And also not much of those criminals doesn't know the existence of cryptos that is why they prefer hard cash over banking transactions.

[Charles-Tim]

Fiats are more easily accessible to people than cryptocurrencies, many people do not know what cryptocurrencies are while some only hear about it but know nothing about it. If we check the marketcap of the fiats in the world and compared it with cryptocurrencies marketcap, we will realize that cryptocurrencies are still way behind. People depends on fiat more than cryptocurrencies and many people do not even know that some cryptocurrencies are so anonymous like Moreno. Scammers like what their victims have, which are fiats

While dealing with fiats, there are transactions that can be untraceable, a good example is western union. Money sent through western union is not traceable, not only western union but also many others that works like that as well. Scammers also are wise and are perfect during their shady and malicious activities. That is why many of their fiat illegal deals can not be traced to them.

Even, I that knows about crypto, I do not still really know much, not to talk of scammers that knows less than me but good while dealing with what most people know, which is fiat. There was a scammers arrested by the United States FBI this year, there were  transactions he has been making with just a single bitcoin address into his  exchange account he his using, with this, all his transactions since 2016 to 2020 was revealed what a big mistake. So, many scammers of today like using fiats because it is what they are more perfect at.

Some do impersonate people, if they request cryptocurrencies  from their victim, the victim may not know about how to use it, and they victim may not have any cryptocurrencies. Because of this, they will later request for fiat.

So, ignorance is what that is still causing this, when crypto adption increase and more known to the world, when people deal with it like fiats, scammers will learn more about it, knowing it deep down. Thereby, using it more for scam purposes.

I am not depicting cryptocurrencies as bad Also, people should learn how to avoid scam generally.

[fiulpro]

Actually now a days I do believe that most of the people know about bitcoins , therefore if a person is planning something illegal he would certainly think about all the ways he can get it done perfectly.

Unfortunately fiat is most likely the biggest reason of corruption , the untraceable nature of the fiat makes it all together super easy to be smuggle , even mixing up fiat is quite easy.

The banks can store the data of all the cash with them but unfortunately they cannot individually track it if someone decides to spread it into a densely populated region..

But when it comes to cryptocurrencies.
They are good , they are private , they provide freedom to people BUT with regards to the KYC which is now mandatory for all the wallets , now you can very easily get tracked if you decide to commit some crime with bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies. There are mixing services but at the end of the day it can all be tracked.

[Upgrade00]

Maybe criminals prefer Fiat because of its high level of adoption in the mainstream world? Or maybe because Fiat has an easier learning curve than crypto?

I agree to both points, fiat is far more accepted than Bitcoin and far less traceable. A user transacting in bitcoins is limited in what they can purchase and would overtime leave traces on the chain as well as identity links. With fiat, it is almost impossible to trace how many hands have handled and transacted with a particular $50 bill. There are privacy channels which can be utilized, but these are not foolproof and it reduces what a scammer can actually do, forcing them to convert to fiat.

If by any means criminals start adopting crypto in mass (especially privacy coins), we could expect a full government crackdown on the entire industry. Which is why I think it's best for criminals to continue using Fiat for the sake of the crypto/Blockchain industry's growth worldwide. But we'll never know what will happen in the future. Thoughts?

We have already seen a couple of targeted attacks on privacy centered currencies like Monero;

Secondly, throughout the years, so many companies and authorities have turned hostile against Monero. In 2020, we have seen in my opinion the strongest push against it. Here are some of the delistings from this year:
     - Bithumb Under Pressure to Delist Monero as Nth Room Ire Continues
     - Monero (XMR), ZCash (ZEC), Bytecoin (BCN) to Be Delisted From Australian Exchanges: Analyzing Reasons Behind Delisting
     - Huobi Korea delists Monero, piling pressure on Bithumb

... And whether or not cryptocurrencies become popular for illegal activities there would an increasing cost for privacy as governments attempt to regulate it more.

[exstasie]

Privacy coins are truly anonymous (especially those that are private by default like Monero and Grin), as there is no central authority behind them.

When they work as intended. There have been some privacy exploits discovered throughout Monero's history. Here's a taste: https://www.reddit.com/r/btc/comments/bhz6hh/is_monero_privacy_compromised/

These are new, experimental protocols. Like we've seen in Tor's history, there are other privacy exploits that developers probably haven't stumbled upon yet that the NSA and other similar organizations have.

Maybe criminals prefer Fiat because of its high level of adoption in the mainstream world?

Absolutely. You can spend greenbacks virtually anywhere in the world, at any time. Plus, liquidity issues. Imagine trying to launder billions of dollars through privacy coins.

And cold hard cash doesn't leave paper trails either. Blockchains leave permanent records and metadata that may be unraveled down the road, even if you think they are 100% privacy safe now.

[RapTarX]

I have recently seen a few article on privacy coins and some crypto analysis service and it seems they were able to break some privacy coins tx although there was no Monero in the list. I don't know how much hard will it be for such analysts but I'm sure someday they will make it. Considering that, you know how much risky crypto is for criminal. Again, you can't remove the footprints by any means once you leave a sign.
I would say criminals are using fiat for their safety, crypto is risky for them.

[The Sceptical Chymist]

Privacy coins are truly anonymous (especially those that are private by default like Monero and Grin)

No, they aren't. It is near impossible (if not actually impossible) to be anonymous on the internet.

I have nowhere near your amount of knowledge of the mechanics of crypto, but I suspect you're absolutely correct.  If someone--like a government agency--wanted to trace any cryptocurrency to whomever they were hunting, I'm fairly sure they could do it.

As of late, crypto has become extremely popular due to the negative effects of COVID-19 in the mainstream economy. People are starting to consider crypto to be a safe-haven against the traditional monetary system empowered by banks worldwide.

I'm not sure that premise is correct, my man.  I don't know about what criminals are doing as far as what currency they're using, but the average Joe on the street is using digital currency for sure--but not cryptocurrency.  And in the area where I live, using cash to buy stuff at stores and restaurants is now frowned upon unless you have exact change.  The US is experiencing a coin shortage for some nebulous reason....but that's beside the point.

I haven't seen any increased adoption of bitcoin or any other crypto because of COVID-19.  I'm not sure if other countries are having a difference experience, but I suspect that as long as the banks are still in business people are still using fiat to pay for everything, just like they've always done.

Maybe criminals prefer Fiat because of its high level of adoption in the mainstream world? Or maybe because Fiat has an easier learning curve than crypto?

You're making this way more complicated than it really is.  Criminals use cash because criminals have always used cash.  It remains the most anonymous method of payment as long as the transaction isn't done in front of a camera and as long as the currency isn't marked, i.e., by law enforcement in a sting operation. 

In addition, cash holds its value quite well, at least in the short term--unlike bitcoin or any of the privacy coins.  If you're a criminal who's receiving money for illegal goods or services, do you really want to take on that volatility risk?  I seriously doubt it.  Anyway, if anyone has proof that criminals are starting to adopt crypto more so than they have, I'd love to see it.

[ChiBitCTy]

I absolutely agree that using Monero is a safer way of transacting illegal monies of whatever sort.  However you still have to unload the crypto somewhere for cash.  If you unload a lot in to a bank, there are likely to be trigger that you'll set off and the transaction will be reported.  Then if you buy anything with it over 10,000 , at least in the US, it gets reported.  Then you have to be able to account for all the money if you get audited.. so that means you have to launder it which just makes it all the more difficult of a process.  If you use cold hard cash, then there's no online paper trail.  Technically notes have serial numbers and sometimes they can be tracked but that's if the government had something to do with those notes ( which wont be the case the vast majority of the time). 

[Darker45]

Well, fiat is the money that the world knows. It's the default money of everyone, good and bad, criminal or not. It is therefore common knowledge that fiat is also the preferred currency of the criminals.

There are, of course, those handful of criminals who are exposed to certain options such as Bitcoin and privacy cryptocurrencies. A lot of them are those who are dealing in the black markets accessible in dark and deep webs. But I guess the percentage of these criminals is very little compared to those who are in the open streets and in glass offices.

I bet only a small portion of the entire world's criminals is familiar with Bitcoin or crypto in general.

[abhiseshakana]

Maybe criminals prefer Fiat because of its high level of adoption in the mainstream world? Or maybe because Fiat has an easier learning curve than crypto?

The majority of criminals, especially corruption cases, keep their money in the form of fiat not in the country but abroad and usually they keep this money for a long time. They choose fiat because the system is already organized and they are familiar with the system, making it easy for them to hide their assets. Many do not understand cryptocurrency so they don't look at this sector, besides that in their understanding as ordinary people in the Crypto world, they only know bitcoin with doubts and understanding that the price can be very high and has ever dropped to the lowest level, while they consider other coins a scam.

[Salauddin1994]

Currently the world is generally run under the fiat currency crypto is not controlled by the government there are many criminals who do not know anything about the use of crypto they are more inclined towards fiat currency due to lack of knowledge. Most of the criminal gangs do illegal business some of them specialize in providing money laundering services to the criminals, the process usually starts btc exchange for other digital currencies like teether. Stable is usually used to prevent quality fluctuations the funds are then exchanged for fiat currency to facilitate business.

[hatshepsut93]

As of late, crypto has become extremely popular due to the negative effects of COVID-19 in the mainstream economy. People are starting to consider crypto to be a safe-haven against the traditional monetary system empowered by banks worldwide.

People consider toilet paper and canned food and hand sanitizers a safe haven in times of pandemic. Bitcoin is just a risky, speculative investment to anyone who isn't thinking that Bitcoin will replace banks anytime soon, which most don't do. You can see by how it started following the stock market during the initial shock from the pandemic. All what we have is just one big company saying that the believe that Bitcoin is a hedge, and that's all.

[Lorence.xD]

Fiat is still widely used in mainstream economy, they have effective ways to launder physical cash and if it works why fix it? This is the problem that bitcoin critics uses to levy against it, they always think that bitcoin or monero will be used for illicit purposes. There is no true anonymity in the Internet, the other reason criminal enterprise do not use it is they do not have a firm grasp yet on how blockchain and cryptocurrency in general works.

[mu_enrico]

If by any means criminals start adopting crypto in mass (especially privacy coins), we could expect a full government crackdown on the entire industry. Which is why I think it's best for criminals to continue using Fiat for the sake of the crypto/Blockchain industry's growth worldwide. But we'll never know what will happen in the future. Thoughts?

As long as Bitcoin is neutral, like it doesn't have anonymizer built into the protocol, the government doesn't have the reason to crackdown the network. Suppose this is the case for Monero et al., then yes. It was proven by the delisting of privacy coins in some regulated exchanges.

I'm not saying enhancing privacy = supporting criminals according to my belief, but that's the government's view about it. Criminals can use whatever MoE they want, but it is important not to encourage/promote such activities by tweaking the protocol to support them if we don't want any trouble with governments.

[Febo]

criminals still rely on Fiat for all of their nefarious actions. I'm starting to wonder why, since Fiat (physical cash) is not as anonymous as one thought it would be.

Actually it is anonymous. None is tracking serial numbers. Yes, if you rob a bank or if you demand a ransom for something, then police will monitor serial numbers from fiat they will give you. But when you sell weed on the street  the fiat bill is same as the one you got in a store, or from ATM.  Yes, when there will be more online commerce where cash cant be used that fast then opaque ledger cryptocurrencies will flourish.

[crwth]

In movies, people know that cash is the preferred way not to get tracked if you are concerned with people tracking you. Let’s be clear about using cash as well. It doesn’t translate to you being concerned with privacy. It’s just an easier way.

For the criminals, It’s easier for them to launder the money to make it legal again without a type of tracing. For crypto, there is a footprint in which you could track where the money goes.

For criminals who are concerned with international affairs, I think cryptocurrency would be a benefit for them as well. Not cash. It can be a case to case basis.

[Leviathan.007]

I don't think so. Since doing KYC is usually mandatory on any fiat payment system, this will be so easy to track the criminals if they use the fiat. So, they would prefer to use a P2P currency like monero and bitcoin for the transactions. If you visit the darkweb, you will see many drug dealers and the other criminals asks usually for monero and specially bitcoin because of the privacy and none needs to do any kind of KYC for it. Also, using a simple mixer, the transactions will be nearly untraceable.