The NCCU Is Recruiting Cryptocurrency Investigators
The National Crime Agency (NCA) in the UK is seeking candidates to join a new team of cryptocurrency investigators, the National Cyber Crime Unit (NCCU) Crypto Cell, which will be dedicated to proactively investigating cryptocurrency crime.
The NCCU Crypto Cell offers a unique opportunity for investigators to specialize in an area becoming increasingly relevant in the fight against crime. The job filing promises a salary between $48,200 and $52,400, and investigators have until January 10 to apply.
The team will consist of five officers with expertise in blockchain forensic investigation and will support existing and new investigations where specialist cryptocurrency experience is needed.
How to Become a Cryptocurrency Investigator
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- Learn about cryptocurrencies: To understand how to investigate cryptocurrency transactions, you will need to have a strong foundation in how cryptocurrencies work. This includes understanding the underlying technology (such as blockchain), how they are used, and the various types of cryptocurrencies that exist.
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- Develop your technical skills: Cryptocurrency investigators need to be proficient with a range of technical tools and techniques. This may include learning how to use blockchain explorers, blockchain analytics and forensic tools.
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- Gain experience in investigating: Investigation is a transferrable skill. It can be helpful to gain experience in other types of investigation before diving into crypto, which is more specialized.
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- Consider obtaining a professional certification: The Certified Cryptocurrency Investigator (CCI) program introduces you to cryptocurrency, crypto crime elements and methods, and prepares you to investigate and close crypto cases.
Crypto in Criminal Cases
Many jurisdictions actively investigate crimes involving crypto. For example, the UK is aware that the use of cryptocurrency and digital assets has increased in recent years and significantly for criminal purposes. In September 2022, the UK Parliament introduced the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill, which grants the police more authority over cryptocurrencies.
If the bill is approved, authorities like the NCA will be able to collect, freeze, and reclaim crypto assets used by organized criminals to launder earnings from fraud, drugs and cybercrime, more quickly and easily.
According to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests made by New Scientist, police in the UK have amassed $435 million worth of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies over the 5 years leading up to 2022. Bitcoin accounted for more than 99.9 percent of the total cryptocurrency value, with the rest consisting of Ethereum and privacy coins like Monero, Dash, and Zcash.
Although striking, this may be only a fraction of the total amount of illegal funds in circulation in the UK and the rest of the world due to the significant barriers that law enforcement agencies face when trying to investigate crimes involving cryptocurrencies. Subject knowledge, legislation and technological limitations are key components of those barriers.
CertiK’s report reveals federal law enforcement and regulatory authorities in the United States increasingly initiated crypto investigations in 2022. In particular, the overall number of investigations increased by 81%, with 96 publicly publicized cases in 2022 compared to 53 instances in 2021
The formation of the NCCU Crypto Cell by the UK’s NCA is a significant step in the fight against cryptocurrency crime. This signals an increased focus on policing crypto assets by the NCA, which has already been actively involved in investigations related to crypto assets due to their prevalence in cybercrime.
It’s likely for the NCCU Crypto Cell to expand quickly and create more demand for cryptocurrency investigators. Crypto assets feature unique crime elements that lead up to criminals turning to them to obfuscate their trail. Besides understanding how cryptocurrency works, investigators must use the right tools and receive efficient training to solve high-complexity cases.
Advance your career as a certified cryptocurrency investigator. Get certified with on-demand training.
Written By: Omar Marzouk
Writer, Content marketing at Blockchain Group
