ChipMixer, a cryptocurrency mixing service linked to the hacks targeting FTX and Axie Infinity, has been taken offline by the FBI. Europol, and other international authorities. in a press release published WednesdayThe Justice Department says authorities seized $46 million worth of cryptocurrency along with the domains for the service and the GitHub account.
Cryptocurrency mixing services like ChipMixer make it more difficult for third parties like law enforcement to track cryptocurrency transactions, as they funnel different payments into a single pool of cryptocurrencies before dividing up each amount and sending it to designated recipients. . According to the police, unlike crypto services registered to operate in the US, it naturally also did not collect identifying information about its users. According to the Department of Justice, ChipMixer laundered more than $3 billion in cryptocurrency between 2017 and today.
“ChipMixer facilitated the laundering of cryptocurrency, specifically Bitcoin, on a large international scale, abetting nefarious actors and criminals of all stripes to evade detection,” says Jacqueline Romero, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, in a statement. “Platforms like ChipMixer, which are designed to hide the sources and destinations of staggering amounts of criminal proceeds, undermine the public’s trust in cryptocurrency and blockchain technology.”
