Illicit Crypto-Inflows Set to Top $51bn in a Year
Threat actors scammed, hacked and defrauded their way to obtaining at least $41bn from victims last year, with the figure likely to exceed $51bn in time, according to Chainalysis.
The blockchain analysis firm investigated illicit on-chain activity last year, focusing on specific categories like stolen funds, darknet markets and ransomware rather than “non-crypto-native crime” like drug trafficking.
While its initial estimate for 2024 ($40.9bn) shows fewer funds received by illicit cryptocurrency addresses than the previous year ($46.1bn), this figure will likely rise by around 25% once Chainalysis identifies more addresses linked to criminal activity.
The largest sums were tied to the categories of “illicit actor-org,”…
