39.891 BTC seized by FBI, Dallas Division from a Ransomware Affiliate Linked to REvil

Bitcoin worth $2.2 Million was seized by the FBI from an Exodus wallet that was tied to a Russian resident who is an affiliate of REvil and Gandcrab Ransomware-as-a-Service Group. The seized BTC are under the custody of the FBI Dallas Division. 

The FBI has managed to seize 39.891 BTC that are worth around $2.2 Million at the time of writing. The BTC were seized from an Exodus wallet that was linked to a Russian Resident named Aleksandr Sikerin with an email address engfog1337@gmail.com linked to the wallet.

Though the FBI did not announce how they were able to seize the amount, they are certain that the affiliate is linked to the Russian based REvil and Gandcrab Ransomware as keeping engfog as email address is their common practice.

Gandcrab and REvil operate as Ransomware-as-a-Service where the core operators partner with third party hackers called affiliates to raise ransomware attacks. The amount of ransom obtained is split between the affiliates and the core operators, where core operators get 20-30% of the ransom generated.

The US Department of Justice also announced earlier this month that they have seized BTC amounting $6.1 Million from another Russian who deployed REvil ransomware to attack businesses and govt. entities in the United States.

Though the FBI and other agencies are fighting hard against such crimes, the rate of crypto crime is on the rise with the huge crypto adoption around the world.

Disclaimer: The article is meant for the educational purpose only and in no way it should be considered as a financial advice. Own research on the topic is advisable.

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