WASHINGTON: The FBI said on Nov 12 that it had seized more than US$1.2bil (RM4.9bil) of cryptocurrency reported stolen last month from Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange.
The theft of about US$6.3bil (RM23.7bil) from Binance is regarded as the biggest crypto heist in history, and the FBI has previously attributed it to a North Korean hacking group known as TraderTraitor.
The US government and private sector have so far combined to freeze more than US$2.7bil (RM11.03bil) of the stolen funds, and the US Justice Department said on Nov 12 that it has now obtained court authorisation to seize or restrain more than US$1.2bil (RM4.9bil) of that total.
Typically in those situations, the US government will file a claim of forfeiture with a judge, who will then determine who has a legitimate claim to the recovered funds.
Also on Nov 12, the FBI blamed North Korea for a separate social engineering scheme that officials say resulted in the theft of US$400mil (RM1.63bil) worth of cryptocurrency over the last 18 months.
That scheme, known as FaceStealer, involves a complicated chain of events combining the hijacking of popular messaging apps and the recording of deepfake videos.
US officials have repeatedly accused North Korea of using cyber schemes to generate funds for its regime, including its illicit weapons program. – AP
