Tag Archives: Security & Ransomware

Heather Morgan and Ilya Lichtenstein were a couple back in New York last year that tried to launder as much as $4.5 billion in bitcoin stolen from a hack on the Bitfinex crypto exchange that occurred in the year 2016. They were arrested for their roles in the incident in 2022 and now appear all set to plead guilty in the case. Heather and Ilya Are not Going to Fight the Charges News of this first came to light when it was discovered that they were newly charged in...

Hackers in North Korea have allegedly garnered illicit entry into the U.S. software company Jump Cloud and have targeted crypto clients. North Korea Again Seeks to Garner Crypto Hackers from North Korea trying to steal crypto is nothing new. There are many state-based hackers in the Asian country who are working hard to garner illicit funds so North Korea can continue to fund and build its ongoing nuclear program. It’s estimated the nation has stolen billions of...

A man named Orion Alexander Holtby was found not guilty in a court of law in British Columbia, Canada after he was accused of stealing thousands of dollars in crypto from his ex-girlfriend. This Crypto Case May Be the Most Unusual The situation is odd in that while it was deemed that he likely did steal and then sell the crypto, the lack of traceability regarding situations like these wound up working in his favor. With little evidence to support the idea that he...

When it comes to crypto crime, a new report issued by blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis shows that there’s good news and bad news. The good news is that such crime is down across the board. About 65 percent down, to be exact. The bad news is that much of the crime in the crypto arena has shifted to ransomware. Chainalysis Report Shows Ransomware Growing 2022 was arguably the worst year on record for crypto. It brought about one of the worst bear markets in...

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has arrested security engineer Shakeeb Ahmed for engaging in the $9 million theft of an unnamed decentralized crypto exchange (DEX). The DOJ Has a Suspect The DOJ alleges Shakeeb created fake pricing data to generate fees through the exchange, which later allowed him to make ongoing withdrawals. He was arrested in mid-July of this year – approximately 12 months after he took part in the attack – following several days of...

A series of fake bomb threats aimed at some of America’s largest retailers has law enforcement baffled. The threats involved perpetrators asking for gift cards and bitcoin in exchange for not setting off explosives or doing lots of damage. Bomb Threats and Bitcoin… A Deadly Match? Among the big-name stores being targeted by the bomb threats are Kroger, Meijer, Walmart, and Whole Foods. The threats also took place in several states rather than isolated regions....

An 82-year-old woman in the city of Crawford, Texas has lost $15,000 to crypto scammers. The good news is that she’s gotten her money back, but the incident has sparked a serious feud between the McLennan County Sheriff’s Office and Lux Vending (operating as Bitcoin Depot), the crypto ATM company that served as the medium of transfer for the potentially illicit activity. Bitcoin Depot Says It’s the Victim The sheriff’s office wound up seizing cash from the machine...

Reginald Fowler – age 64 and a former part owner of the Minnesota Vikings football team – has been sentenced to six years in prison for his role in a crypto-related scam. Reginald Fowler Heads to Jail Fowler is alleged to have defrauded the short-lived professional football organization Alliance of American Football. The scam is said to have lost investors as much as $700 million at the time of writing. Originally from Chandler, Arizona, Fowler was found guilty in...

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has warned that while it’s doing all it can to end crypto fraud, it admitted that there’s nothing it can do about all the illicit activity out there, and thus there’s likely to be things here and there that vanish from its radar or go unnoticed. The CFTC Doesn’t Have that Much Power Christy Goldsmith Romero – one of five commissioners at the CFTC – announced in a recent interview that crypto cases account for roughly...

Earn Your First Bitcoin Sign up and get $12 Bonus Referral bonus up to $3,000 Sign up A man in Aurora, Colorado has been accused of stealing roughly $9 million in crypto funds. 31-year-old Mark Shin has been charged with theft, cybercrime, and money laundering at the time of writing for allegedly taking part in a scheme back in April of 2020 through his home computer. Mark Shin: Stealer or...