ChipMixer was a

cryptocurrency A cryptocurrency, crypto-currency, or crypto is a digital currency designed to work as a medium of exchange through a computer network that is not reliant on any central authority, such as a government or bank, to uphold or maintain it. It i ...

laundering service operated out of Vietnam from servers run in Germany. The service was allegedly used to launder more than three billion dollars over a period of six years.

Service

The service allowed customers to obfuscate the origin of cryptocurrency transactions. This anonymization was useful for criminals who used the service when purchasing illicit goods from

darknet A dark net or darknet is an overlay network within the Internet that can only be accessed with specific software, configurations, or authorization, and often uses a unique customized communication protocol. Two typical darknet types are social ne ...

markets. Additionally, criminals needing to hide the origins of

ransomware Ransomware is a type of malware from cryptovirology that threatens to publish the victim's personal data or permanently block access to it unless a ransom is paid off. While some simple ransomware may lock the system without damaging any files, ...

payouts used the site.

Seizure

The website and backend servers were seized by the Bundespolizei,

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

Homeland Security Investigations The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the United States from the cross-border crime and illegal immigration tha ...

, and Europol on March 15, 2023. The German police seized 46 million dollars in cryptocurrency.

References

{{reflist Cryptocurrency tumblers Cybercrime Defunct websites