Scottish Police Report 2,000% Surge in Crypto-Associated Crimes Since 2019

A brand new report from Police Scotland reveals a staggering 2,000% enhance in crypto-related crimes since 2019.

The annual 2025 report, submitted to the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) Policing Efficiency Committee, outlines the rising challenges legislation enforcement faces in tackling cyber-enabled crimes and fraud, notably these involving cryptocurrencies.

Authorities stress that whereas important strides have been made in digital forensics and monitoring applied sciences, Scotland nonetheless lacks a devoted cryptocurrency crime unit.

Nevertheless, plans are underway to handle this deficiency by the institution of a Cyber and Fraud Command division, which is able to purpose to consolidate Scotland’s strategy to investigating and prosecuting digital crimes.

Regardless of these advances, the speedy evolution of cybercrime continues to pose substantial threats, necessitating additional investments in legislation enforcement capabilities.

Tackling Crypto Crimes with Know-how

For the reason that final report in 2024, Police Scotland has launched a spread of recent applied sciences and investigative strategies to fight the surge in digital crimes.

Amongst these improvements are Digital Proof Detection Canine (DEDD), which have confirmed instrumental in figuring out hidden digital gadgets linked to illicit actions.

Since their deployment in April 2024, these specifically skilled canine have helped recuperate 416 digital gadgets throughout 134 operations.

Moreover, Digital Forensic Vans (DFVs) have been operational since Could 2024. They allow law enforcement officials to conduct on-site examinations of digital proof, considerably decreasing processing delays.

Cybercrime Investigations and Digital Forensics groups have processed 1000’s of gadgets, with 4577 Digital Request Varieties (ERFs) accepted for cyber kiosks and an extra 3867 ERFs processed at forensic labs in 2024 alone.

Crucially, cryptocurrency-related investigations have seen a dramatic uptick, with 165 Cryptocurrency Assist Requests dealt with over the previous yr.

This rise reveals criminals’ rising reliance on digital belongings to facilitate cash laundering, fraud, and different illicit actions.

One high-profile operation, codenamed Op EDITORIAL, concerned a 21-year-old cybersecurity pupil who developed a Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) device and generated illicit features of over £45,000.

The investigation required the evaluation of tens of millions of information factors, together with cryptocurrency transactions, server logs, and forensic knowledge. The suspect was in the end sentenced to 21 months in jail.

In the meantime, the Critical and Organised Crime Monetary Investigation Unit (SOCFIU) has been instrumental in tackling monetary crimes involving digital belongings.

In 2024, SOCFIU investigated 58 circumstances, ensuing within the seizure of £7.6 million in belongings and the arrest of 55 suspects.

One notably notable case concerned the seizure of over $40 million price of cryptocurrency saved on USB gadgets, which has since been referred to civil restoration proceedings.

Rising Crypto Crime Considerations

Some of the important authorized milestones in Scotland’s combat towards crypto crime was the unprecedented conversion of stolen Bitcoin into fiat forex beneath proceeds of crime laws.

This case concerned John Ross Rennie, who was found in possession of 23.5 Bitcoin linked to a violent robbery in Lanarkshire in 2020.

Scottish prosecutors efficiently traced and confiscated the stolen cryptocurrency, which is valued at roughly £109,601 ($144,017).

This marked the primary time digital belongings have been transformed into money by authorized means within the nation.

Notably, this yr alone has seen a rise in crypto-related crimes. The primary quarter of 2025 noticed an unprecedented $1.64 billion in crypto losses throughout 39 incidents, making it the worst quarter for hacks in the industry’s history, in line with Immunefi.

Nearly all of these losses got here from two main centralized alternate breaches. Bybit misplaced $1.46 billion in February, whereas Phemex suffered a $69.1 million assault in January. In comparison with Q1 2024, complete crypto losses have surged by 390%.

Wanting ahead, Scotland is making efforts to handle these challenges duly, with a devoted command unit in improvement and modern forensic applied sciences in place.

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