ChipMixer was a

cryptocurrency A cryptocurrency (colloquially crypto) is a digital currency designed to work through a computer network that is not reliant on any central authority, such as a government or bank, to uphold or maintain it. Individual coin ownership record ...

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 darknet or dark net 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 n ...

markets. Additionally, criminals needing to hide the origins of

ransomware Ransomware is a type of malware that Encryption, encrypts the victim's personal data until a ransom is paid. Difficult-to-trace Digital currency, digital currencies such as paysafecard or Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency, cryptocurrencies are com ...

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 agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

Homeland Security Investigations The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE; ) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the Un ...

, and

Europol Europol, officially the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation, is the law enforcement agency of the European Union (EU). Established in 1998, it is based in The Hague, Netherlands, and serves as the central hub for coordinating c ...

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

References

{{reflist Cryptocurrency tumblers Cybercrime Defunct websites