The FBI Hijacked and Ran a Dark Web Money Laundering Operation Called ‘ElonmuskWHM’

[Kaz]

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The FBI has long been known for infiltrating criminal gangs in order to bring them down. However, the bureau has increasingly sought to infiltrate the murky world of cybercrime, using its agents to embed with—and even fully operate—digital criminal organizations.

 

Case in point: 404 Media reports that the FBI spent nearly a year operating a dark web money laundering operation that was called “ElonmuskWHM.” That criminal business, which was often advertised on the dark web forum White House Market or WHM, allowed cybercriminals to “cash out” cryptocurrency that had been elicited via criminal schemes. “Elonmusk”‘s customers, who were drug traffickers and hackers, would send the business their crypto, and then the operator would send them cash in the mail. “Elonmusk” would take a 20 percent fee for its services. 404’s reporter, Joseph Cox, writes:

 

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The FBI Hijacked and Ran a Dark Web Money Laundering Operation Called 'ElonmuskWHM'

GIZMODO.COM

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A high-level honeypotting operation by the federal government has been uncovered.

 

I understand that people often use 'mixers' before cashing out after committing a crime, but why not just transfer it to monero, make a couple more transfers and then cash out a random % of it?  That seems much safer than handing it to a random stranger who may or may not be compromised.  What am I not understanding?  People who pay their taxes usually only get caught because an e-mail address points back to them.

[bonami2]

  On 09/04/2025 at 16:54, Kaz said:

The FBI Hijacked and Ran a Dark Web Money Laundering Operation Called 'ElonmuskWHM'

GIZMODO.COM

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A high-level honeypotting operation by the federal government has been uncovered.

 

I understand that people often use 'mixers' before cashing out after committing a crime, but why not just transfer it to monero, make a couple more transfers and then cash out a random % of it?  That seems much safer than handing it to a random stranger who may or may not be compromised.  What am I not understanding?  People who pay their taxes usually only get caught because an e-mail address points back to them.

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I would think that lot of criminal make tons of money without any outside knowledge support. So they may end up finding this ways convenient even if dumb.