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Japan Arrests 18 in Major Credit Card Fraud Case, First Use of Monero Transaction Analysis

Japan makes history in cybercrime fight. First time Monero transactions lead to arrests in major credit card fraud case.

, and Administrator

2025 October 3 . 1:58 AM

1 min read

In this picture we can see a market, in which we can see some stoles and we can see few people are... — In this picture we can see a market, in which we can see some stoles and we can see few people are around.

Japan Arrests 18 in Major Credit Card Fraud Case, First Use of Monero Transaction Analysis

Japanese authorities have made a significant breakthrough in credit card fraud cases, marking the first time they've used analysis of Monero transactions to identify criminals. Eighteen suspects, including the group's leader, have been arrested.

The criminal ring, led by 26-year-old Yuta Kobayashi, operated between June and July 2021. They sold fake goods on the Merkari marketplace, receiving payments via stolen credit cards in over 900 fraudulent transactions. Kobayashi orchestrated these operations, totaling around $18,000 in losses.

The group laundered their ill-gotten gains using the anonymous cryptocurrency Monero (XMR). They used the BTC-e exchange service for their transactions. Japanese police, along with international partners, tracked these transactions. This is not the first time Monero's transactions have been successfully traced. In January, Finland also reported tracking Monero in a similar case using methods demonstrated by Chainalysis, involving 'malicious' nodes to capture IP addresses and transaction timestamps.

The arrests and successful tracking of Monero transactions highlight the growing sophistication of law enforcement in combating cybercrime. The total amount of money laundered exceeds $666,000, demonstrating the scale of the operation. The use of Monero for illicit activities and the success in tracking it underscore the importance of international cooperation in fighting cryptocurrency-related crimes.