Crimes Related to the Turnover of Cryptocurrencies: the Concept and Specifics of the Investigation

The purpose of this study is to study the current state of cryptocurrency turnover, crimes in this area and the specifics of their investigation.

Blockchain technology is increasingly being used in the global economy and cryptocurrency is being used. The use of modern technologies is also attractive for financial organizations that invest money in their development, use an electronic ledger, etc., however, it also gives new opportunities to cybercriminals who master technologies that allow them to attack financial organizations and extort large sums as a result of such attacks. Cryptocurrencies are becoming more expensive all over the world, gaining influence and beginning to significantly threaten the national security of the country. Many international legislators note that at the moment there is a situation in which criminals uncontrollably withdraw funds obtained illegally abroad from national financial systems, first transferring money into electronic form. Virtual currency has no physical expression, so it is extremely difficult to control its movement. Criminals are not limited only to embezzlement of funds. Another broad problem of cybercrime is that it is not limited to the framework of any State. Such crime is always international. The perpetrator himself can be anywhere in the world and commit a crime at any selected point. The second problem is the lack of a strict hierarchy. A criminal can act alone or together, but there is usually no leader. It also greatly complicates the investigation of such crimes.

Analyzing Russian and foreign practice, we can conclude that the higher the material and technical progress, the more dynamically crime develops in the field of high technology, which learns to use its capabilities on the Internet. For example, there is a special software that can protect the user from fixing his actions, make him completely anonymous. These are excellent opportunities for criminals, since you cannot leave traces by conducting illegal activities, using cryptocurrency and mining it. There is a fairly large arsenal of tools used by criminals, which makes it much more difficult to counteract them.