ChainCatcher message, Binance announced that it has received a letter of thanks from the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau (OCTB) of the Hong Kong Police Force, expressing gratitude for Binance's contributions in the investigation of a recent major kidnapping case. The Hong Kong police also acknowledged the need for collective efforts in combating crimes that utilize emerging technologies and praised Binance for its proactive stance in addressing these challenges.Binance investigation team member Carlos Mak stated, "We firmly believe that public-private collaboration is key to maintaining the security of the crypto financial environment and fostering trust in the industry. In the future, Binance will continue to contribute to the prevention and combat of crime, leaving no stone unturned."

ChainCatcher news, the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) today published its "2023-24 Annual Report," which mentions that in order to more promptly combat fraudulent activities related to suspicious virtual asset trading platforms, the SFC established a joint task force with the Hong Kong Police Force in October 2023 to monitor and investigate illegal activities involving or appearing to involve virtual assets or virtual asset trading platforms.The SFC has issued press releases and social media posts to include suspicious entities on a warning list and held press briefings to alert the public to 19 cases of suspected fraud related to virtual asset trading platforms and unlicensed virtual asset trading platforms. Through joint efforts, the police have responded to the SFC's requests and quickly taken action to block the websites of the suspected fraudulent entities.

According to ChainCatcher news, Hong Kong Police Commissioner Siu Chak-yee revealed in a recent interview that the Hong Kong police have developed a self-researched tracking technology for virtual asset transactions to expedite the interception of fraud cases. This is because many virtual assets are associated with certain wallets, and the flow of funds in these wallets is often very complex. They hope to quickly identify where the flow is going through an analytical system, allowing for prompt interception. In addition, Siu emphasized that the most important thing is for citizens to strengthen their awareness of prevention, including downloading the police's anti-fraud app. He mentioned that in the month following the end of November last year, the system detected issues and issued nearly 150,000 warnings.

ChainCatcher news, Hong Kong Police Force Commissioner Siu Chak-yee responded to Legislative Council member Wu Kit-chong's inquiry, stating that the virtual asset trading platform JPEX case received 2,636 reports in 2023, involving 1.6 billion HKD. They have contacted 2,300 victims, recorded statements from one-third of them, arrested 69 individuals, and frozen 200 million HKD in assets. Due to the complexity of the investigation and the large number of victims, they will continue to take statements from the remaining individuals and examine the flow of funds in electronic wallets to gather sufficient evidence to prove that the relevant individuals' crimes demonstrate that JPEX had no actual investment activities.

ChainCatcher news, the Hong Kong Police Force and the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission have established a dedicated task force to enhance cooperation in monitoring and investigating illegal activities related to virtual asset trading platforms. This task force was formed after a high-level meeting held by both parties on September 28, 2023, and is composed of representatives from the Police Force's Commercial Crime Bureau, Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau, Financial Intelligence and Investigation Bureau, as well as the Securities and Futures Commission's Regulatory Enforcement Division and Institutional Division.The purpose of the task force is to facilitate information sharing related to suspicious activities and violations concerning virtual asset trading platforms; implement a risk assessment mechanism for suspicious virtual asset trading platforms; and strengthen coordination and cooperation in related investigations.

ChainCatcher news, according to DL News, the Hong Kong Police Force stated that they received 769 complaints of crypto "pig butchering" from January to July, primarily in the form of organized crime groups in Southeast Asia using cryptocurrency to deceive victims seeking romantic relationships and conducting industrial-scale online scams.Among them, victims lost a total of HKD 407.8 million (approximately USD 52 million), and the number of cases this year is expected to double compared to 2021, while the previous reports of similar cases in 2021 were 642, which is three times the 181 cases recorded in 2020.

According to ChainCatcher news, Binance has recently participated in and supported the Virtual Asset Investigation Course (VAIC) organized by the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau of the Hong Kong Police Force to assist the Hong Kong police in strengthening law enforcement efforts against cybercrime in Hong Kong. The Cyber Crime Bureau held a five-day training session at the Hong Kong Police Headquarters on January 30, with participants including representatives from the Hong Kong Police, the Independent Commission Against Corruption, and Hong Kong Customs, aimed at enriching personnel's knowledge in the virtual asset field and enhancing their capabilities in combating and preventing related crimes.Experts from Binance's Law Enforcement Training and Investigation team also conducted training focused on cryptocurrency investigations, covering topics such as case studies on cryptocurrency-related investigative techniques and examples of how Binance assists law enforcement agencies in criminal investigations. (Source link）