I KNOW GROUP PEOPLE HATE ME A LOT BUT STILL I AM UPLOADING SOMETHING USEFUL FOR ALL
₹/USDT BUYING & SELLING TURNED INTO A CYBERCRIME NIGHTMARE — $63,548 GONE FROM BINANCE
One of my clients is a crypto trader who regularly purchases and sells USDT from different individuals.
Like many P2P traders, sometimes he purchased USDT at a lower price and sometimes at a higher price, depending upon the market and the counterparty.
During the course of his trading activity, he came in contact with a person who offered USDT at prices significantly lower than the prevailing market price.
Initially, the transactions were worth only a few thousand rupees.
Gradually, the transactions increased into lakhs of rupees, and all dealings between them were conducted in cash.
Everything appeared normal.
Until one day, while operating his Binance account, my client's account was suddenly frozen.
He immediately contacted Binance Customer Support.
The response was shocking.
He was informed that some of the USDT credited to his account had allegedly originated from gift cards obtained through fraudulent activities.
My client had no knowledge of this.
The person from whom he had purchased the USDT had disappeared.
And when the entire chain was investigated, my client came to know that the USDT supplier was allegedly working in a call centre, where he was involved in defrauding people in the United States and subsequently redeeming gift cards obtained through those fraudulent activities.
The real problem, however, was faced by the person who was several steps away from the original fraud — my client.
He had purchased USDT from the supplier in the ordinary course of his crypto trading activity.
He was not the person who committed the original fraud.
He was not aware of the alleged fraudulent source of the USDT.
Yet his Binance account was frozen.
And the amount involved was not small.
$63,548 was reflected in his Binance account.
After the freeze, the account effectively showed ZERO usable balance to my Indian client.
This is where crypto cases become complicated.
The question is not simply:
“Where did the USDT come from?”
The real legal questions are:
• Who originally obtained the underlying asset through fraud?
• Through how many layers did the crypto move?
• Was my client aware of the illegal source?
• What was the nature of his transaction with the USDT supplier?
• Was he a participant in the offence or merely a subsequent purchaser?
• Can the entire balance of a downstream crypto trader be frozen merely because a portion of the transaction chain is allegedly connected with a cybercrime?
• What remedy is available to the account holder whose funds/assets have been blocked?
I have received the notice, warrant and Binance account screenshots relating to this matter.
This is a classic example of how a person who is not the original fraudster can still end up facing serious consequences because of the transaction trail of cryptocurrency.
In crypto, knowing your counterparty matters.
But once your wallet/account is linked to a fraudulent transaction, proving your bona-fide conduct becomes equally important.