German authorities have taken a step in combating cybercrime by closing 47 crypto exchanges as part of the "Operation Final Exchange."
These platforms are accused of enabling cybercriminals to launder illicit funds on a large scale by failing to comply with anti-money laundering regulations.
The crackdown is now extending to potential criminal users of these platforms.
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In a joint statement released on September 19, Germany's federal criminal police office and the cybercrime unit of the Frankfurt prosecutor's office accused the exchanges of intentionally helping users obscure the origins of illegally acquired money.
Among the exchanges shut down were Xchange.cash, 60cek.org, Baksman.com, and Prostocash.com, all with high volumes of users and transactions.
The users of these platforms reportedly include ransomware groups, darknet traders, and botnet operators, who used the exchanges to launder their gains into legal financial systems.
German authorities issued a warning to the criminals, stating they had located and confiscated the servers of the exchanges, including development, production, and backup systems. They also emphasized that they now possess all related data, such as transaction details, registration information, and IP addresses. The warning ends with a chilling reminder:
Our search for traces begins. See you soon.
Despite this, the officials have acknowledged the challenges of prosecuting many of these criminals, as they often reside in foreign countries, where they are either overlooked or even protected from prosecution.
Nonetheless, this demonstrates Germany's determination to combat crypto crime.
In August, Germany's financial watchdog, the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin), confiscated nearly $28 million in cash during a countrywide crackdown on crypto ATMs.
