WASHINGTON — The FBI said Thursday it has seized more than $1.2 billion in cryptocurrency stolen last month from Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange, CBS News reported.
The theft of about $6.3 billion from Binance is considered the biggest crypto heist on record. The FBI has attributed it to a North Korean hacking group known as TraderTraitor, according to CBS News.
The U.S. government and private companies have together frozen more than $2.7 billion of the stolen funds, and the Justice Department said it has obtained court authorization to seize or restrain more than $1.2 billion of that.
A judge typically decides who has a legitimate claim to recovered funds after the government files for forfeiture, CBS News reported.
The FBI also blamed North Korea for a separate scheme, known as FaceStealer, that officials say stole $400 million in cryptocurrency over 18 months by hijacking messaging apps and using deepfake videos.
“Cryptocurrency unfortunately has become fertile ground for North Korea to defraud victims and fund its malign activities,” Bill Essayli, first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, said in a statement.
Sources: CBS News. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: FBI / Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
