Authorities in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom have frozen $12 million in cryptocurrency., 2026/04/10 09:25:30

Authorities in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom have frozen approximately $12 million in cryptocurrency, which they believe belongs to victims of phishing scams.

The funds were discovered during an international operation named “Atlantic,” led by the United States Secret Service. During the investigation, law enforcement also reported the uncovering of fraudulent schemes totaling over $45 million. Of this amount, $33 million, according to investigators, was obtained through fake investment cryptocurrency schemes. The origin of these funds is currently being verified, and they may also be subject to freezing.

Law enforcement identified more than 20,000 cryptocurrency wallets linked to victims from over 30 countries and alerted more than 3,000 individuals who were either at risk or had already fallen victim to scammers, as stated by the United States Secret Service. Operatives also shut down over 120 web domains used by the perpetrators. 

Last year, during a similar operation called “Avalanche,” authorities tracked and blocked around $4.3 million in ethers stolen through phishing attacks.   A month ago, the United States Department of Justice, in collaboration with Europol, dismantled the SocksEscort hacking network, which had been operating for over a decade. At that time, approximately $3.5 million in cryptocurrency was frozen.

According to analysts at CertiK, in March, the total damage from cyberattacks, including phishing, amounted to $59.5 million, with $21.4 million attributed to social engineering schemes—the highest figure since November.