US, UK, and Canadian law enforcement disrupted a $45 million global cryptocurrency scam through Operation Atlantic, a joint initiative led by the US Secret Service, UK National Crime Agency, and Ontario Provincial Police. The week-long operation froze $12 million in stolen funds, identified over 20,000 fraudulent wallet addresses across 30 countries, and directly contacted more than 3,000 victims. The scam used 'pig butchering' tactics where victims were tricked into granting criminals access to their crypto accounts. An additional $33 million linked to investment fraud is under further investigation. The operation highlights growing crypto fraud, with FBI data showing 181,565 cryptocurrency complaints in 2025, up 21% year-over-year, resulting in $1.366 billion in losses.

2m read timeFrom go.theregister.com
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