Several thousands of bank accounts belonging to cryptocurrency traders have reportedly been frozen by Chinese police as a result of an extensive crackdown on illicit activities. Frozen accounts are not necessarily involved in wrongdoing and supposedly can be unfrozen if the authority finds no evidence of illicit activities.
Police Freeze Bank Accounts of Crypto Traders
The police in China’s Guangdong province have been freezing bank accounts of over-the-counter (OTC) cryptocurrency buyers and sellers in the country. Chinese publication 8btc reported on Monday that about 4,000 such bank accounts have been frozen since June 4 on the suspicion of being involved in illicit activities, including money laundering.
Chinese police have been ramping up efforts to crack down on telecom fraud, gambling and cryptocurrency scams, which could result in them freezing related bank accounts. Some accounts have been frozen without any trading activities for several months. According to the publication, the authority claims that tether (USDT) is frequently used in illicit activities. The police are even learning about blockchain and on-chain analysis to understand how to trace crypto assets.
However, frozen accounts are not necessarily involved in wrongdoing and supposedly can be unfrozen if the authority finds no evidence of illicit activities. One investor unexpectedly found that his bank account had been frozen after using yuan to buy cryptocurrency on a major crypto exchange a week ago, the news outlet conveyed.
Recently, a major scam allegedly using cryptocurrencies for money laundering was busted. According to local police in Guangzhou, a city in Guangdong province, the scammers created a fake Huobi website to defraud investors and transferred illegally obtained money to an overseas account.
The country’s central bank, the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), has been increasing efforts to crack down on money
