PANews reported on April 11 that according to CoinDesk, cryptocurrency criminals are increasingly struggling to evade detection, transferring assets between numerous blockchain ecosystems in an attempt to confuse investigators. According to the latest data from blockchain analysis company Elliptic, 20% of complex cross-chain investigations currently involve more than 10 different blockchains. One-third of complex cross-chain investigations involve four or more blockchains, and 27% involve more than five blockchains. Its chief technology officer, Jackson Hull, said that over the past five years, the number of cross-chain crimes has "increased significantly" due to lower cross-chain switching costs and more options. Some people transfer assets between crypto ecosystems for non-criminal purposes, but Hull pointed out that this is a common obfuscation method for hackers and criminals who launder money and cover their tracks.
Hull said that Elliptic has recently expanded its coverage to support 50 blockchains. This means that investigators using Elliptic’s software can easily track funds transferred between any of the supported blockchains, as well as funds transferred through the “more than 300” cross-chain bridges supported by Elliptic’s software. Hull also added that Elliptic can add a new blockchain to its coverage in just three weeks.
