#AML #крипта
Author: Yan Krivonosov

Cryptocurrencies provide freedom of financial operations, but with this, the risks grow. In 2025, regulators tighten control, and exchanges massively block accounts due to 'dirty' coins. How to protect yourself and not lose money? Let's break it down in detail.

What is 'dirty' cryptocurrency and where does it come from?

'Dirty' refers to crypto assets associated with illegal activities:
- Hacker attacks (exchanges hacks, phishing)
- Money laundering through mixers (for example, Tornado Cash)
- Dark markets (drug trafficking, arms)
- Fraud (scam projects, fictitious investments)
- Sanction lists (for example, addresses associated with Garantex after the EU's ban).

Statistics for 2025:
- 5% of all stablecoin transactions (USDT, USDC) are linked to suspicious addresses.
- In the first half of 2025, 112 billion rubles out of 2.3 trillion rubles in the Russian crypto market turnover were 'dirty'.


Why are accounts blocked on exchanges?

Exchanges (Binance, OKX, Bybit) are required to comply with AML (Anti-Money Laundering) — rules against money laundering. Even one suspicious transaction can lead to a block.

Main reasons:
1. Receiving funds from 'red' addresses (for example, from a hacked exchange or a sanctioned mixer).
2. Lack of counterparty verification (P2P transactions with unverified users).
3. 'Retroactive coloring' — if a hacker's address is flagged a month after the hack, all its transactions during that period also become 'dirty'.

Example from 2025:
A Garantex user did not check the USDT history, and after the EU sanctions, Tether froze $2.5 billion in the exchange's wallets. Withdrawal of funds became impossible.

How to check a wallet and avoid problems?

Service for AML verification
CoinKyt (my choice) https://explorer.coinkyt.com
- Deep analytics + integration with exchanges for automatic blocking of suspicious transactions.

How to check an address?
- Paste the wallet address in Scorechain Bot → receive a report in 10 seconds.
- If risk >70%, do not accept payments to this address.

What to do if you have already received 'dirty' crypto?
1. Stop using the address — create a new one.
2. Collect evidence (correspondence, exchange receipts).
3. Do not return funds — this will worsen your risk scoring.
4. Contact exchange support with explanations (but be prepared for a block).

Conclusion: Check wallets to avoid losing money
- 1 in 20 USDT transactions is suspicious.
- Exchanges block without warning — even for old transactions.
- Use AML services

Tip from the author:
> 'Crypto hygiene is like tooth brushing: if not done regularly, there will be problems. Check addresses before transfer, not after blocking.'