When people talk about sanctions evasion, the act of bypassing government-imposed financial restrictions using digital assets. Also known as crypto circumvention, it’s not a technical loophole—it’s a legal risk that affects everyone from individual traders to major exchanges. Governments like the U.S., EU, and UK use sanctions to block transactions with specific countries, groups, or individuals. But crypto’s decentralized nature makes it tempting for bad actors to move money without going through banks. That’s where OFAC crypto, the U.S. Treasury’s list of blockchain addresses tied to sanctioned entities comes in. If you interact with one of those addresses—even by accident—you could be violating the law.
blockchain compliance, the process of checking crypto transactions against government watchlists isn’t optional anymore. Exchanges like Binance and Coinbase freeze accounts when they detect suspicious activity linked to sanctioned wallets. But it’s not just exchanges. Wallets that don’t do KYC, privacy coins like Monero, and cross-chain bridges are all tools used in crypto sanctions, efforts to hide the origin or destination of funds from regulators. Even if you’re not trying to break the law, using a mixer or sending crypto to an unknown address could put you on the radar. The U.S. Department of Justice has already prosecuted people for sending small amounts of Bitcoin to sanctioned entities—no big transfer needed.
What you’ll find in the posts below isn’t a guide on how to evade sanctions. It’s the opposite: real-world examples of platforms that got flagged, scams that pretend to be legal, and how regulators are catching up. You’ll see reviews of exchanges like Fides and UZX—platforms with no oversight—that could be used for illegal activity. You’ll learn why airdrops like WELL or FARA are often fake, and how scammers use the chaos of crypto to hide from authorities. This isn’t about hacking systems. It’s about understanding what’s legal, what’s dangerous, and how to protect yourself from getting caught in the crossfire.
Blockchain forensics lets authorities trace crypto transactions to catch criminals and enforce sanctions. From mixers to DeFi, here's how it works-and why you need to understand it.
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