<p>I believe it's a matter of liquidity, and BTC is the most liquid digital asset right now. In the case of fiat, if you stole US dollars you wouldn't change them to Turkish liras just to be untraceable, you rather find a way to keep the USD.
It's a Forbes article anyway, it could be mainly FUD for people to stay away from &quot;crypto&quot;.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-12-17T09:58:29.280Z
Thanks for reply! What about liquidity, is not is enough of it in closest to Bitcoin blockchain - Etherium?
AseN
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-12-16T17:24:38.133Z
2022-12-16T17:24:38.133Z
purpurato
<p>I came across the following article</p>
<ul>
<li>Allen Goldmann, <a href="https://forbes.to/2022/11/28/a-person-is-trying-to-hide-5-million-in-stolen-bitcoins-from-a-darknet-marketplace" rel="nofollow noreferrer">A person is trying to hide $5 million in stolen Bitcoins from a Darknet marketplace</a>, Forbes, November 28, 2022</li>
</ul>
<p>where some criminal tried to launder stolen 300 bitcoins with mixer &quot;desperately creating new wallet addresses&quot;.</p>
<p>There is a lot of forensic techniques which let tracing crypto within same blockchain easily enough, so my question is very simple: why not just convert stolen bitcoin to other crypto based on different blockchain (chain hopping)?</p>
<p>P.S I assume that tracing will be stopped in the point of transfering between blockchains (you transfer from wallet A1 to wallet A2 of blockchain A and get the funds on wallet B1 from wallet B2 belonging blockchain B)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-12-16T12:12:26.750Z
As you say a lot of forensic techniques which let tracing crypto within same blockchain, so why not such of techniques not exists in a diffrent blockchain as you say ?
Pegasus
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-12-16T12:41:49.210Z
@Pegasus, I suppose because tracing will be stopped in the point of transfering between blockchains (you transfer on wallet A of blockchain B1 and get the funds on wallet B from wallet С belonging blockchain B2)
AseN
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-12-16T22:56:03.440Z
@AseN but if you use a *normal* exchange to convert currencies, the money can be traced by the exchange. Most of them apply Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations intended to counteract money laundering.
RedGrittyBrick
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-12-17T10:00:25.990Z
@RedGrittyBrick, KYС is good point, but it hard to imagine that all of exchangers do it, especially in darknet. And even if there is KYC, can`t it be bypassed with simple scheme: BTC->Monero_wallet1->Monero_wallet2->BTC?
AseN
<blockchain><privacy><traceability><money-laundering>
Why criminals still use bitcoin mixers when there is other blockchains?
AseN
# Why criminals still use bitcoin mixers when there is other blockchains?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-12-16)

I came across the following article

* Allen Goldmann, [A person is trying to hide $5 million in stolen Bitcoins from a Darknet marketplace](https://forbes.to/2022/11/28/a-person-is-trying-to-hide-5-million-in-stolen-bitcoins-from-a-darknet-marketplace), Forbes, November 28, 2022

where some criminal tried to launder stolen 300 bitcoins with mixer "desperately creating new wallet addresses".

There is a lot of forensic techniques which let tracing crypto within same blockchain easily enough, so my question is very simple: why not just convert stolen bitcoin to other crypto based on different blockchain (chain hopping)?

P.S I assume that tracing will be stopped in the point of transfering between blockchains (you transfer from wallet A1 to wallet A2 of blockchain A and get the funds on wallet B1 from wallet B2 belonging blockchain B)

**Tags:** blockchain, privacy, traceability, money-laundering

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: As you say a lot of forensic techniques which let tracing crypto within same blockchain, so why not such of techniques not exists in a diffrent blockchain as you say ?  
> **username_0**: @username_1, I suppose because tracing will be stopped in the point of transfering between blockchains (you transfer on wallet A of blockchain B1 and get the funds on wallet B from wallet С belonging blockchain B2)  
> **username_2**: @username_0 but if you use a *normal* exchange to convert currencies, the money can be traced by the exchange. Most of them apply Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations intended to counteract money laundering.  
> **username_0**: @username_2, KYС is good point, but it hard to imagine that all of exchangers do it, especially in darknet. And even if there is KYC, can`t it be bypassed with simple scheme: BTC->Monero_wallet1->Monero_wallet2->BTC?  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2022-12-16. Score: 1

I believe it's a matter of liquidity, and BTC is the most liquid digital asset right now. In the case of fiat, if you stole US dollars you wouldn't change them to Turkish liras just to be untraceable, you rather find a way to keep the USD.
It's a Forbes article anyway, it could be mainly FUD for people to stay away from "crypto".

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks for reply! What about liquidity, is not is enough of it in closest to Bitcoin blockchain - Etherium?  

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