•The United States Department of Justice is investigating the hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of cryptocurrency taken in unauthorized transactions from collapsed exchange FTX.
• FTX was hit with a mystery attack on November 11, shortly after it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The funds were then moved around to other exchanges and converted into different cryptocurrencies.
• Blockchain analysts claim that about $650 million worth of cryptocurrency left the Bahamas-based digital asset exchange in the hack, making it one of the largest crypto attacks of 2022. However, FTX’s bankruptcy filing notes that “at least $372 million” was stolen, suggesting some discrepancy in the accounting of the missing funds.
• Feds hit FTX co-founder and former CEO Bankman-Fried with eight criminal charges earlier this month, including money laundering and wire fraud. The DOJ investigation does not relate to those charges, and Bankman-Fried previously hinted before his arrest that the unauthorized transactions may have been an inside job performed by a disgruntled employee.
On November 11th, 2020, cryptocurrency exchange FTX reported a mysterious attack that resulted in losses totaling $650 million. The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is taking action against the hundreds of millions of dollars worth of cryptocurrency that was taken in unauthorized transactions from the collapsed exchange FTX. It’s a strong move by the DOJ, which recognizes the need to take such controversy seriously.
The DOJ is working closely with other governmental and international agencies to try and trace and recover stolen funds within the U.S., given the constantly changing and unpredictable nature of cryptocurrencies and their use in financial systems around the world. If left unchecked, criminals could easily exploit virtual currencies for illegal activities, which would put even more citizens at risk of financial fraud.
The Statistics of Losses From the November 11th Attack on the FTX Exchange
FTX was founded in 2019 by CEO Sam Bankman-Fried and quickly rose to become one of the largest crypto exchanges in the world. On November 11, FTX experienced an unexpected mystery attack. Just shortly before the attack, FTX had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy which caused concern in the cryptocurrency industry. Following the attack, large sums of funds were miraculously transferred to other exchanges and quickly converted into different types of cryptocurrency. It is unclear to who was responsible for this mystery attack but it sparked a wave of apprehension amongst the crypto community forcing many to reconsider their level of trust in these exchanges. As for FTX’s situation, whether or not the organization can manage to remain operational after such a cyberattack remains to be seen.
Speculation on Potential Inside Job by Disgruntled Employee
The attack has left many people wondering if there was an inside job involved. Some suspect that a disgruntled employee could have been behind the theft due to their familiarity with the company’s systems and processes. This theory is further supported by reports that Bankman-Fried had recently fired several employees who were suspected of stealing or misappropriating funds. However, no arrests have been made yet so this remains speculation at this time.
Speculation that it was Sam
Allegations Against Former CEO Bankman-Fried for Money Laundering and Wire Fraud
In addition to investigating potential involvement by an insider, authorities are looking into allegations against former CEO Bankman-Fried for money laundering and wire fraud related to his role at the FTX exchange. While these allegations remain unconfirmed at this time, they could potentially result in criminal charges if proven true. Furthermore, if these charges are brought against Bankman-Fried it could have serious repercussions for FTX as well as other cryptocurrency exchanges operating within US jurisdiction.
With the allegations and Sam’s current terrible reputation as being a liar and a fraud, the idea does not go unnoticed. There are some that believe Sam took the funds out as his ship was sinking in order to have a nice little nest egg for the days to come. Though there has been no official connection a DOJ investigation could potentially reveal a thread and if pulled could easily unravel more hidden secrets from Sam.
“Who Dunnit”?
In summary, on November 11th, 2020 cryptocurrency exchange FTX suffered an attack resulting in losses totaling $650 million dollars. Since then, the US Department of Justice has started an investigation into the incident which includes allegations against former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried for money laundering and wire fraud related to his role at the FTX exchange. If proven true these charges could have serious repercussions not just for FTX but also for other cryptocurrency exchanges operating within US jurisdiction as well as investors who put their trust into digital assets such as cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Ethereum. By understanding what happened with FTX we can learn valuable lessons about investing in digital assets while taking necessary security measures to protect our investments and ourselves moving forward.
