Despite the crypto bear market, scammers appear to be in a good financial position, as they gained $100 million in various schemes since July 2021.
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According to data provided by blockchain forensic firm Elliptic, each successful scheme brought bad actors $300,000 on average. July 2022 was the record month for scammers, as they netted over 4,600 NFTs, while May 2022 was the largest month in terms of the highest confirmed value of NFTs ($24 million). The London-based firm said:
"However, actual numbers are likely to be higher, as thefts are not always publicly reported."
Elliptic added that since 2017 only $8 million of illicit funds had been laundered with the help of NFT-marketplaces, which represents 0.02% of trading activity on those platforms.
In July, representatives of the European Green Party and the Socialists proposed amendments to current legislation, as they believe that the decentralized finance (DeFi) sector, including NFT platforms, should be subject to EU anti-money laundering laws.
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