The Justice Department seized ISIS, Hamas, and AL-Qaeda cryptocurrencies
According to an announcement by the US Department of Justice
on August 13, authorities confiscated millions of dollars in cryptocurrencies from over 300 wallets.
The announcement did not specify a specific amount, but indicated that the operation was the largest of its kind aimed at financing terrorism.
A wide range of agencies were involved in the campaign, including the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and the IRS. As part of the campaign, several websites and Facebook pages that either openly or - in the case of one scam site selling medical masks - were secretly raising funds for terrorist operations were shut down.
According to head of criminal investigation Don Fort, the IRS used its new cryptocurrency tracking capabilities to locate funds involved in the crime:
"The IRS-CI's ability to track the funds used by terrorist groups to originate them and dismantle the communication and financial networks of these radical groups directly prevents them from wreaking havoc worldwide."