Expertise & Insights

False names, shell companies, and virtual addresses no longer mean that fraudsters remain undetected. Professional OSINT investigations combine publicly available information with blockchain forensics and technical analysis to uncover criminal networks. Learn how open source intelligence helps lawyers, businesses, and law enforcement agencies solve fraud cases.

Did assets flow through wallets linked to the Huione Group? For law firms, companies, and authorities, a reliable assessment is crucial. We explain the FinCEN measures, the liquidation of Huione Pay and H-Pay, and demonstrate how court-admissible blockchain forensics supports claims and investigations.

USDC is one of the few major crypto assets that Circle can centrally freeze. This provides lawyers, insolvency administrators, and law enforcement agencies with a practical tool for asset protection. We explain the blacklist function, known cases, and the requirements for legally admissible evidence.

Polygon is fast, affordable, and international, and criminals exploit this. How court-admissible crypto forensics uncovers asset transfers for lawyers and companies.

Cross-chain operations on Arbitrum are forensically challenging: sequencer logic, delayed inbox, and router and gateway architecture require a clear methodological separation of verifiable on-chain facts and interpretation. We present a reproducible investigation framework for the professional analysis of Arbitrum swaps—as a basis for court-admissible reports.

How artificial intelligence is changing crypto forensics: wallet clustering, graph analysis, cross-chain tracing and behavioral analysis, and where the limits lie.

This case report documents a real-life case involving forensic analysis, subsequent official seizure of approximately €35,000 on a cryptocurrency exchange, and a thwarted recovery scam attempt involving €5,800. It includes methodological guidance and lessons learned for lawyers, compliance officers, and defense attorneys handling similar cases.

This article provides a systematic classification of crypto mixers for legal and compliance practice: operating principle, custodial and non-custodial mixers, zero-knowledge proofs for Tornado Cash, CoinJoin procedures, privacy coins, DeFi-based layering, recent legal developments regarding sanctions and operator prosecution, forensic investigation limits, and the role of centralized exchanges.

This article provides a methodological overview of crypto forensics for legal and consulting practice: UTXO and account model, blockchain tracing, wallet clustering, common input ownership heuristic, taint analysis according to FIFO, pro-rata and poison model, attribution via KYC and OSINT, as well as tool landscape and limits of forensic analysis – with a clear reference to client work.

This article documents a real-life crypto love scam with a total loss of €184,000 and describes the forensic methodology used: transaction reconstruction, peel chain detection, cross-chain tracking between TRON, Ethereum and BNB Chain, AI-supported wallet clustering, and the International Preservation Request, which led to the recovery of €112,000 – with lessons learned for legal representation.

Crypto assets are becoming increasingly relevant in divorce proceedings. High volatility, anonymous wallets, and complex DeFi structures complicate the division of assets for equalization of accrued gains. This article explains the legal classification, valuation date, disclosure obligations, tax implications, and shows when a forensic asset assessment becomes necessary to ensure a fair division.

Clients who have suffered cryptocurrency losses due to fraud often fail to convince their clients by arguing that a classic sale transaction is lacking. However, the Federal Fiscal Court's (BFH) case law provides robust approaches: economic analysis, definitive asset losses, and the objective net principle. This article demonstrates how tax advisors and lawyers apply these lines of argumentation and what role forensic evidence preparation plays in this process.

Cryptocurrency losses due to fraud are difficult to tax – but not always impossible. This article shows law firms and tax advisors when a loss can be deducted under Section 23 of the German Income Tax Act (EStG), which categories of cases are relevant, and what forensic evidence tax authorities will expect for tax recognition in 2026.

Banks are freezing accounts, cryptocurrency exchanges are blocking withdrawals – and a tax export is no longer sufficient proof. This article explains what DAC8 and the Transfer of Funds Regulation 2026 mean for lawyers and compliance departments, what requirements banks now impose, and what a forensic proof of the origin of funds specifically documents.

Banks are freezing accounts, cryptocurrency exchanges are blocking withdrawals – and a tax export is no longer sufficient proof. This article explains what DAC8 and the Transfer of Funds Regulation 2026 mean for lawyers and compliance departments, what requirements banks now impose, and what a forensic proof of the origin of funds specifically documents.