Germany Cracks Down on Crypto Crime, Shuts Down 47 Unlicensed Exchanges

German authorities have taken significant action against cryptocurrency-related crime, shutting down 47 exchange services accused of facilitating money laundering.

The nationwide operation, led by the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) and the Central Office for Combating Internet Crime (ZIT), targeted platforms that allowed users to exchange conventional and cryptocurrencies without verifying their identities, violating “know-your-customer” (KYC) protocols.

These unregulated exchanges enabled anonymous transactions, making them attractive to criminals seeking to hide illicit funds. According to authorities, these platforms were used by various cybercrime groups, including ransomware operators and darknet traders, to quickly and anonymously exchange cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum, effectively concealing their origins.

During the operation, authorities secured crucial user and transaction data, which will be used in future investigations to identify individuals involved in money laundering through these platforms. While prosecution may be challenging due to the potential for perpetrators to reside in countries with lax regulations, the focus remains on dismantling the infrastructure that enables these crimes.

This crackdown is part of a broader effort by German authorities to disrupt cybercrime networks. In 2023, authorities seized the ChipMixer platform, a major darknet crypto mixer involved in laundering €90 million worth of cryptocurrencies. Other operations include the takedown of Kingdom Market and the removal of malware like Qakbot and Emotet, both of which were responsible for hundreds of millions of euros in damages globally.

Last month German authorities conducted a nationwide operation targeting illegal Bitcoin ATMs, confiscating 13 machines and €250,000 in cash. These ATMs were operating without the necessary licenses and posed significant money laundering risks. The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) warned the public about the risks associated with these unregulated devices.

In June the BKA started transferring around 50,000 BTC seized in 2013 from the individuals running the well-known piracy movie site Movie2k.to. The large-scale sale caused significant market distress as it drove the price of Bitcoin down. 

German Authorities Acknowledge Difficulty in Prosecuting Operators

Despite seizing customer data during the investigation, German authorities acknowledge the difficulty of prosecuting those behind the illegal crypto exchanges. They believe the perpetrators likely reside in countries with lax or nonexistent regulations on money laundering.

“Since cybercriminals often reside abroad and are tolerated or even protected by some countries, they often remain inaccessible to German law enforcement,” the authorities stated. Therefore, the focus will shift to dismantling the infrastructure that enabled these crimes.

“We have found their servers and seized them – development servers, production servers, backup servers. We have their data, and therefore, we have your data. Transactions, registration data, IP addresses,” German authorities said.