Cryptomixer has been taken down

[_act_]

It has been long we see a news like this, but the government make use of the opportunity when they see a mixer used for money laundering as allegations against mixer, this make Cryptomixer to be taken down by German government with the help of Europol.

Europol supports Germany and Switzerland in taking down 'Cryptomixer', seizing EUR 25 million in Bitcoin. This illicit mixing service facilitated money laundering of proceeds from a variety of criminal activities.

Details ➡️  https://www.europol.europa.eu/media-press/newsroom/news/europol-and-partners-shut-down-cryptomixer

For further details: https://x.com/Europol/status/1995422096126603419?t=3OpbdAhQvLbFb974mT5WLg&s=19

[Tungbulu]

Well we really can’t blame the Authorities for their actions towards mixers. Inasmuch as the intention behind the creation of mixers were pure and good, we still can’t elude the fact that there are people out there who are taking advantage of the system and using it for their own selfish purposes even after knowing that it’s against the law, which is why I don’t blame people who places bans on mixers within their jurisdictions.

[TryNinja]

User adilx157 was mixing his coins and didn't receive anything because of the take down.

https://asktom.cf/index.php?topic=5566913.msg66112245#msg66112245

Will the Europol return his coins? I doubt it.

But it's fine for the EU autorithies to literally scam people who are looking for on chain privacy. Nice!

[Zwei]

But it's fine for the EU autorithies to literally scam people who are looking for on chain privacy. Nice!

let's forget about the 25 million in bitcoin they stole for a sec.
in the press release, they also said they confiscated over 12 terabytes of data, and if any of it contains mixing logs, a lot of cryptomixer users are gonna get fucked.

this didn't age well for them:


(from wayback machine)

[TryNinja]

let's forget about the 25 million in bitcoin they stole for a sec.
in the press release, they also said they confiscated over 12 terabytes of data, and if any of it contains mixing logs, a lot of cryptomixer users are gonna get fucked.

This is ChipMixer all over again. They always say they confiscated terabytes of data, but why would a mixer hold that much data? It makes no sense to me.

Even if you're saving every IP, every address, every transaction... I don't see how it would accumulate over 12 Tb.

[Lucius]

This is ChipMixer all over again. They always say they confiscated terabytes of data, but why would a mixer hold that much data? It makes no sense to me.
Even if you're saving every IP, every address, every transaction... I don't see how it would accumulate over 12 Tb.

I was wondering what mixer it was because I didn't know it, and then I saw that it wasn't advertised on ATT at all. That's a little strange to me, because who were the people who used that mixer if it was relatively unknown?

As for CM, as far as I know, no one has ended up in prison or been punished to this day. I don't see it being any different in this case - the authorities got what they wanted + 25 million euros worth of BTC.

[TryNinja]

I was wondering what mixer it was because I didn't know it, and then I saw that it wasn't advertised on ATT at all. That's a little strange to me, because who were the people who used that mixer if it was relatively unknown?

It was advertised here...

https://asktom.cf/index.php?action=profile;u=772666
https://beta.ninjastic.space/topic/1484009
https://beta.ninjastic.space/topic/1441572

[albon]

User adilx157 was mixing his coins and didn't receive anything because of the take down.

Will the Europol return his coins? I doubt it.

But it's fine for the EU autorithies to literally scam people who are looking for on chain privacy. Nice!

I believe there are many users who have lost their assets, like this user who lost his funds due to what happened last week in November. The amount that was confiscated is indeed substantial , and I don't expect this user or anyone else to be able to recover their assets after all the stored mixer assets were legally seized..

As for me, if I were in their position, I would accept the loss and move on, as I'm not the only one affected.. However, one could try hiring a lawyer and explaining the whole story and providing clear evidence that the mixer was used legally and not for any illegal activities. Then, The lawyer could file a report with the relevant authorities, although I doubt this would lead to a completely satisfactory result.

[Z-tight]

and I don't expect this user or anyone else to be able to recover their assets after all the stored mixer assets were legally seized..

You mean legally stolen, that sounds much better to me. Because that is what the authorities do when they take down services like these. Even if some users were using it for illicit dealings, everyone gets their funds stolen when the service gets seized.

However, one could try hiring a lawyer and explaining the whole story and providing clear evidence that the mixer was used legally and not for any illegal activities.

That would not go anywhere, and you would just end up spending money on litigation. Further adding to the amount that has already been stolen, so better to take it on the chin.

[BlackHatCoiner]

They're taking down all of them, one by one. Consider using Wabisabi coinjoins instead of mixers. It comes a lot cheaper, and you're never forfeiting the custody of any coin.

Even if you're saving every IP, every address, every transaction... I don't see how it would accumulate over 12 Tb.

That makes no sense to me either. Even if they kept record of every visit, every IP address, every kind of fingerprint, even mouse movements, all that since 2016, it'd still not exceed a single terabyte. I'm starting the feel the authorities just confiscate a dedicated server and consider everything inside as "data".

[NotATether]

This mixer is a scam, and should've been taken down two years ago. Well at least they finally did the right thing.

Nobody should use mixers ran by Lazarus Group. They don't actually mix coins - they just function as donation addresses.

The "warrant canary" is useless. It is usually just some automated script that runs continuously on a server until law enforcement seizes control of it.

[zasad@]

I will leave here links to 2 resources, there you can find proven services
https://bitlist.co/    - https://asktom.cf/index.php?topic=5277003
https://bitmixlist.org/ - https://asktom.cf/index.php?topic=5477452.0

It's better than using unknown services.

[Majestic-milf]

Well we really can’t blame the Authorities for their actions towards mixers. Inasmuch as the intention behind the creation of mixers were pure and good, we still can’t elude the fact that there are people out there who are taking advantage of the system and using it for their own selfish purposes even after knowing that it’s against the law, which is why I don’t blame people who places bans on mixers within their jurisdictions.

Sure. Where there is good, bad also abides so the fact that Cryptomixer gets to be the scapegoat gives some of those who are looking for what to blame the avenue to criticize mixers. Not everything crypto related is evil but sometimes just as you said, not everyone wants to use it for good.
Read that the reason this Cryptomixer.io was shut down was because it was the largest platform used to cover up illegal crypto activities and I'm here wondering how long this has been going on before they got busted.

[Tungbulu]

Sure. Where there is good, bad also abides so the fact that Cryptomixer gets to be the scapegoat gives some of those who are looking for what to blame the avenue to criticize mixers. Not everything crypto related is evil but sometimes just as you said, not everyone wants to use it for good.
Read that the reason this [banned mixer] was shut down was because it was the largest platform used to cover up illegal crypto activities and I'm here wondering how long this has been going on before they got busted.

It doesn’t matter really matter how long it’s been going on, nothing stays hidden forever and no matter how long crime breathes unnoticed, it’s just a matter of time before it’s unfolded. At least this would serve as a sober reminder to those criminals that feel Bitcoin or mixers are a hiding place for their criminal activities, and also for those who intend to commit such crimes, at least they’ll now realize that there’ll be no escape for them. Inasmuch as these money launderers are using Bitcoin, they’re doing more harm than good to the community because they’re giving Bitcoin a bad image, and it’s good they’re gradually being caught.

[Free Market Capitalist]

But it's fine for the EU autorithies to literally scam people who are looking for on chain privacy. Nice!

Since when has Europe prioritized privacy over a system that obscures the origin of funds? Especially in recent years, with limits on cash payments and a CBDC project with privacy, lol.

To protect your data, we are designing the digital euro to offer the highest privacy levels of any electronic payment option.

It's not that things are much better in the rest of the world in general, but I'm not surprised that can happen in Europe.

[zasad@]

Sure. Where there is good, bad also abides so the fact that Cryptomixer gets to be the scapegoat gives some of those who are looking for what to blame the avenue to criticize mixers. Not everything crypto related is evil but sometimes just as you said, not everyone wants to use it for good.
Read that the reason this [banned mixer] was shut down was because it was the largest platform used to cover up illegal crypto activities and I'm here wondering how long this has been going on before they got busted.

It doesn’t matter really matter how long it’s been going on, nothing stays hidden forever and no matter how long crime breathes unnoticed, it’s just a matter of time before it’s unfolded. At least this would serve as a sober reminder to those criminals that feel Bitcoin or mixers are a hiding place for their criminal activities, and also for those who intend to commit such crimes, at least they’ll now realize that there’ll be no escape for them. Inasmuch as these money launderers are using Bitcoin, they’re doing more harm than good to the community because they’re giving Bitcoin a bad image, and it’s good they’re gradually being caught.

For every mixer closed, one or more new ones open. Where there's profit, there will always be supply, even though it's illegal.
I've seen many reports about mixers being closed, but I haven't seen any further news about crimes being solved based on the data obtained.Professional cybercriminals won't use a single mixer, but will instead use Bitcoin-Monero links, which are difficult to trace even now.

[LoyceV]

let's forget about the 25 million in bitcoin they stole for a sec.

Let's not: this has happened so many times, and each time I'm surprised about the amount of money in their hot wallet. Are they that rich, do they care that little, or do they fund their hot wallet with coins that are so "hot" they don't care about losing it?

in the press release, they also said they confiscated over 12 terabytes of data, and if any of it contains mixing logs, a lot of cryptomixer users are gonna get fucked.

That's 0.7 TB for the blockchain, another 0.7 TB for a backup on another drive, and let's be generous: a third backup. That leaves 10 TB of data, and that amount makes absolutely no sense to be user data. Every Bitcoin transaction ever made fits in 0.7 TB compressed data, this site has processed a very small fraction of that, so even if they logged everything, there's no way that would be more than a couple of GB, and that already requires millions of users. 12 TB makes sense if they store videos, not logfiles.

this didn't age well for them:

(from wayback machine)

Without a signed message, I wouldn't even call it a warrant canary:

A canary is a way of saying something without saying it, so you'll still know something happened even if they're not allowed to disclose it. If they'd lie about this, they loose all the trust they have.

[Lucius]

let's forget about the 25 million in bitcoin they stole for a sec.

Let's not: this has happened so many times, and each time I'm surprised about the amount of money in their hot wallet. Are they that rich, do they care that little, or do they fund their hot wallet with coins that are so "hot" they don't care about losing it?
~snip~

My theory about these really strange BTC seizures when it comes to mixers is that they (the owners) are doing it on purpose. If you're wondering what the purpose is, it seems to me that they want to avoid pressure for their possible arrest by allowing the authorities to boast that they seized a huge amount of coins, and then finding the person behind it all falls into the background.

The fact that this happens constantly may give my theory a chance, but it also suggests to me that a very small number of individuals are behind the mixer business.

[LoyceV]

My theory about these really strange BTC seizures when it comes to mixers is that they (the owners) are doing it on purpose.

A gentlemen's agreement to buy their way out of prison? I like your theory, but don't think it's very likely.

it also suggests to me that a very small number of individuals are behind the mixer business.

That's probably true. Why put all your eggs in one basket, if you can run multiple "independent" mixers?

[Lucius]

My theory about these really strange BTC seizures when it comes to mixers is that they (the owners) are doing it on purpose.

A gentlemen's agreement to buy their way out of prison? I like your theory, but don't think it's very likely.

Unless one of them admits that this is the reason, we can't know for sure - but it makes sense if we look back at all cases of mixer seizures. Those who make seizures always brag about two things, the amount of Bitcoins and the size of the data, but do you know of any mixer owner who was caught and convicted?

it also suggests to me that a very small number of individuals are behind the mixer business.

That's probably true. Why put all your eggs in one basket, if you can run multiple "independent" mixers?

Given that I am active on another forum where mixers are actively advertised, I cannot escape the impression that they are all owned by a maximum of 3 to 4 different people. In the vast majority of cases, for one mix you will pay 3-5% of the amount + a fixed 70 000 satoshi on account of the miners' fee. Given that we know that the price for which you can send a BTC transaction is less than $1, the conclusion is self-evident if most mixers force such a large fee.

By the way, the most successful mixer did not have any mandatory fee, but no mixer today has chosen that option.