FBI undercover paid $250 in Bitcoin to help catch serial hacker IntelBroker

PANews reported on June 27 that according to The Block, the FBI assisted in the capture of British citizen Kai West (also known as "IntelBroker"), who was suspected of serial hacking. West and his accomplices are suspected of selling data stolen from more than 40 victims, mainly using the privacy coin Monero. In January 2023, an undercover law enforcement officer offered West $250 in Bitcoin to purchase victim data, and West accepted the payment, a key move that allowed the police to track him down. Experts at blockchain forensics company TRM Labs said that this case highlights the progress of law enforcement agencies in the field of encryption and the use of traditional undercover methods in blockchain crime investigations. West was arrested in France in February this year and is awaiting extradition. He faces multiple charges. The FBI estimates that his hacking behavior caused a total loss of about $25 million to the victims.