Authorities in the United States and Ukraine have shut down nine websites that had been offering cryptocurrency exchange services to cybercriminals.
The takedowns are the result of cooperation between the FBI, its Virtual Currency Response Team (VCRT) team, the National Police of Ukraine, and Ukraine’s Prosecutor General.
The targeted domains, which now display a message informing visitors that they have been seized, are 24xbtc.com, 100btc.pro, pridechange.com, 101crypta.com, uxbtc.com, trust-exchange.org, bitcoin24.exchange, paybtc.pro and owl.gold.
Authorities claim they have not only seized the domains, but also shut down associated servers, including ones located in the United States.
“Noncompliant virtual currency exchanges, which have a lax anti-money laundering program or collect minimal Know Your Customer information or none at all, serve as important hubs in the cybercrime ecosystem and are operating in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Sections 1960 and 1956,” the DoJ said.
The targeted cryptocurrency exchanges were advertised on crime forums and they offered support in both English and Russian.
In many cases, the illegal currency exchange services were used by ransomware groups, as well as other types of scammers.
Ukrainian police said they are currently trying to identify the individuals involved in the criminal activity.
Also this week, law enforcement agencies around the world announced the takedown of dark web drug marketplace ‘Monopoly Market’ and the arrests of nearly 300 people who allegedly sold and bought drugs on the website.
Related: 120 Arrested as Cybercrime Website Genesis Market Seized by FBI
Related: Success of Genesis Market Takedown Attempt Called Into Question
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Eduard Kovacs (@EduardKovacs) is a contributing editor at SecurityWeek. He worked as a high school IT teacher for two years before starting a career in journalism as Softpedia’s security news reporter. Eduard holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial informatics and a master’s degree in computer techniques applied in electrical engineering.
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