- Europol and its partners close Cryptomixer.io, a major cryptocurrency mixing service
- Operation seized servers, domain, 12TB of data and $29 million in crypto assets
- Mixers often help cybercriminals; previous takedowns include Bestmixer, ChipMixer and Sinbad
German and Swiss authorities, along with Europol, Eurojust and US law enforcement, have taken down Cryptomixer.io, allegedly one of the largest cryptocurrency mixing services in existence.
As the name suggests, this is a service that “mixes” cryptocurrencies. Due to their transparent and pseudonymous nature, most cryptocurrency transactions can be tracked quite easily, and if the user reveals their identity at any time (for example, spends some crypto in a cafe covered in security cameras), their entire transaction history can be traced.
Given that cryptocurrencies are the currency of choice for many cybercriminals, this poses a problem. This is where “mixers” come in. Scammers can send stolen money to the service, where it is “mixed” (merged or broken up) with other tokens, then returned (at a random time, to a newly generated random address).
Servers, domains, data and money, all seized
Although most blender developers will say that their idea is not to facilitate crime but rather to protect privacy, it is well established that many blender users take advantage of the service for less than legitimate reasons.
This is why these services are constantly targeted by law enforcement. Before Cryptomixer.io, the police removed Bestmixer.io (2019), ChipMixer (2023) and Sinbad.io (2023).
Earlier this week, Europol issued a new press release confirming that the service had been closed on Monday. It has been operating since 2016 and was “one of the largest bitcoin mixers with billions of euros in revenue, most of which came from criminal activities.”
The operation was carried out by Zurich law enforcement and resulted in the seizure of three servers in Switzerland, the internet domain cryptomixer.io and 12 terabytes of data which will later be used in follow-up investigations and possibly the doxxing of numerous criminals.
Additionally, police also seized around $29 million in cryptocurrencies from the service.
“The results will also contribute to the investigation of other cybercrimes,” said the BKA, Germany’s federal investigation agency.
Via PK Press Club
The best antivirus for every budget
Follow TechRadar on Google News And add us as your favorite source to get our news, reviews and expert opinions in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can too follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form and receive regular updates from us on WhatsApp Also.
