From helpnetsecurity.com
$1.7 billion in cryptocurrency was stolen and scammed in 2018 — a dramatic rise in criminal activity despite a slump in the market, according to CipherTrace. Criminals need to launder all these funds in order to cash out before a wave of regulations go into effect in 2019.
Theft from cryptocurrency exchanges accounted for the majority of the criminal activity: more than $950 million was stolen in 2018, representing 3.6 times more than in 2017.