FBI Seizes 9 Virtual Currency Exchange Services to Block Ransom Payments

The FBI has reportedly shut down 9 Virtual Currency Exchange services belonging to organizations to prevent cyber criminals from laundering their money.

These exchange services were used by threat actors who received ransom payments through criminal activities.

These organizations were knowingly supporting cybercrime activities and were supporting all kinds of threat actors. The domain names that were seized by authorities are as follows,

• 24xbtc.com
• 100btc.pro
• pridechange.com
• 101crypta.com
• uxbtc.com
• trust-exchange.org
• bitcoin24.exchange
• paybtc.pro
• owl.gold

Virtual Exchanges are non-compliant if they have a lax anti-money laundering program or do not collect users’ enough KYC (Know Your Customer) information.

As stated by the FBI, These kinds of services operating in the cybercrime ecosystem are in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Sections 1960 and 1956.

In addition, these kinds of illegal currency exchanges are advertised online to get more and more cybercriminals to use their platform, resulting in an enormous revenue generation.

Most of these platforms were a playground for threat actors responsible for ransomware, scamming, and phishing campaigns. These services were offered in both Russian and English Speaking Countries.

The FBI has been investigating this issue further and will put up a seizure banner for these websites to inform visitors about their actions.

Running a money service business without an operating license and helping with money laundering is a federal crime.

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