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Almost half of all Ethereum Improvement Proposal 7702 (EIP-7702) authorizations by users involve crimes like phishing and draining of funds, according to research from market maker Wintermute. This is a far cry from Vitalik Buterin’s claim that its temporary smart contract functionality would give users “superpowers” with “guardrails.” Since May 7 this year, users have activated the feature 1,580,930 times, with Wintermute’s team tagging 768,275 or 48% of them as crime-related. Criminals might — subject to further investigation — have victimized thousands of people using this feature. wild & depressing chart, the most used category of eip-7702 authorizations are "crime" (i.e. phishing/draining wallets) pic.twitter.com/7Bij2l1V0e — ceteris (@ceterispar1bus) September 19, 2025 EIP-7702 temporarily converts a user’s signing account into a smart contract wallet for the duration of that transaction. It was supposed to enhance user ...

Fans of true Crime have as much unsolved material to investigate in crypto as in virtually any other industry. Unlike cash or bank transfers, crypto allows payment of millions of dollars within seconds and this instant and irreversible settlement of nearly unlimited sums of money makes it a perfect tool for foul play. The massive sums of money in play also go hand-in-hand with extravagant lifestyles, risky travel, drugs, and various poor life decisions. As a result, it’s not entirely surprising that there have been a number of high-profile deaths over the past 15 years. Unsolved deaths of crypto leaders Perhaps the most famous crypto disappearance is John McAfee , the creator of the popular McAfee Antivirus freemium software used on hundreds of millions of computers. After exiting that software company, McAfee became a crypto promoter and drug-addicted globe-trotter.  The tech mogul-turned- crypto bro ended up blowing most of his $100 million fortune, dying in an apparen...

Sanctioned crypto exchange Garantex has ties to violent debt collectors, a convicted gang leader, and a Russian state oil company, according to an international body of journalists. Estonian newspaper The Eesti Ekspress and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) discovered that the death and replacement of one of Garantex ’s shareholders precipitated the installation of a new shareholder with links to the Kremlin and Russia n state oil.  The probe, published last week, also found that operators of Garantex’s Russia app and crypto educational arm jointly own a debt collection agency alongside a convicted gang leader guilty of violent extortion schemes.  Russian founder of sanctioned exchange Garantex starts Tether desk Read more: US sanctions Russia n woman for laundering oligarch funds with crypto In addition, Garantex reportedly sent $238 million worth of bitcoin to wallets controlled by illegal darknet operators and $15 million worth of crypto to w...

Tether’s USDT stablecoin is fueling a surge in scams in Asia, a recent report from the UN’s office on drugs and crime says. According to a report seen by the Financial Times, USDT has become a key tool among criminal gangs in Southeast Asia, many of whom are using the stablecoin for money laundering and to operate illegal online gambling platforms. “Online gambling platforms, especially those operating illegally, have emerged as among the most popular vehicles for cryptocurrency-based money launderers, particularly for those using Tether.” The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime While the scale of USDT’s involvement in illegal cases is not explicitly addressed, the UN’s office on drugs and crime noted a “rapidly growing use of sophisticated, high-speed money laundering […] teams specializing in underground tether” in recent years. You might also like: DoJ captures $9m in Tether’s USDT from “pig butchering” operation ...

On Nov. 15, the U.S. House Financial Services Committee will scrutinize crypto currency’s role in illicit activities , focusing on money laundering and terrorism funding. The U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Committee (FSC) is holding a big meeting on Nov. 15 to discuss illegal activities in the crypto currency world. This meeting, called “Crypto crime in context: breaking down the illicit activity in digital assets,” is essential because it looks into how digital currencies are used for crimes like money laundering and funding terrorism. #NEW: Chairman @PatrickMcHenry announces a markup of legislation to provide clarity for the digital asset ecosystem and address national security concerns. Read more https://t.co/kb2smj24Io — Financial Services GOP (@FinancialCmte) July 22, 2023 Experts like Bill Hughes from Consensys, Jonathan Levin from Chainalysis, and Jane Khodarkovsky, who knows a lot about tracking money in human trafficking, will ...

The US has issued sanctions against a Russian businesswoman, accusing her of helping Russian oligarchs bypass sanctions via crypto exchanges, laundering their funds, and using Dubai to legitimize money trails. As announced on Friday by the US Treasury Department, 37-year-old Ekaterina Zhdanova is alleged to have helped international oligarchs from Russia bypass US sanctions that were implemented during the Ukraine war.  Zhdanova is said to have used crypto to move over $100 million to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on behalf of one wealthy client and allegedly offered a local tax residency service to help Russians create an origin of funds that international authorities wouldn’t question.  According to officials, “Through key facilitators like Zhdanova, Russian elites, ransomware groups, and other illicit actors sought to evade U.S. and international sanctions, particularly through the abuse of virtual currency.” Zhdanova allegedly US ed sanctioned crypto exchanges, such as Garan...

A former Illinois judge has been ordered to cough up $1.2 million after allegedly stealing over $380,000 from a WW2 veteran who entrusted her to manage his finances — instead, she pocketed the cash and spent it on Crypto currency, according to the state. 95-year-old Oscar Wilkerson Jr. served as a pilot for the Tuskegee Airmen regiment, America’s first all-black aviation combat unit. After his military service during WW2, the veteran reportedly worked at radio stations in Chicago . In November 2020, Wilkerson was moved to an elderly home. When his health declined, a friend was granted power of attorney. Wilkerson’s niece on his late wife’s side, County Judge Patricia Martin, was asked to help manage Wilkerson’s finances; she agreed to maintain his bank accounts and pension pots for his own benefit. Martin was a judge in Cook County’s juvenile court for 24 years. However, she retired just one month after she agreed to help Wilkerson. Lawsuit al...