While cryptocurrency hacking and fraud incidents have increased recently, new data has come from the USA.
At this point, US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Member Christy Goldsmith Romero said in her statement that the institution received 1,530 notices.
Stating that the majority of these notices were related to cryptocurrencies, the CFTC member announced that 16 million dollars were paid to whistleblowers in 2023.
The statement published on the CFTC's website included the following statements:
“ The majority of the reports received this year were related to cryptocurrencies, an area where fraud and other illegal activities continue to be widespread.
With the rise of cryptocurrency, more retail customers have come under the CFTC's jurisdiction, making the efforts of the CFTC's Whistleblower Program and Office of Customer Education and Outreach even more critical.
Whistleblowers play a vital role in supporting CFTC investigations into fraud and other illegalities.
The CFTC could not fully protect customers and markets without whistleblowers. Whistleblowers help detect fraud and other illegalities, interpret key evidence, and save significant Commission resources and time. The faster we can stop fraud, the more we can protect our customers from harm. The CFTC's Whistleblower Program also provides confidential protections to whistleblowers. “
CFTC member Christy Goldsmith Romero recently added that the CFTC distributed a total of $350 million to whistleblowers, and that these tips in exchange for rewards led to more than $3 billion in sanctions.
