Cryptocurrency and Other Virtual Assets as a Phenomenon of Contemporary Crime: Problems of Solution, Investigation and Prevention

The work is devoted to the consideration of issues related to the impact of digitalization on modern crime. The authors identify trends in the use of virtual currency in criminal activities. Attention is drawn to the lack of clear legislative regulation regarding cryptocurrency and items of theft in this area, and existing judicial practice is analyzed. It is noted that the lack of clear legislative regulation has a negative impact on the process of proving illegal acts involving the use of cryptocurrency and other virtual currency. Law enforcers are faced with problems of determining the value of these financial assets, the lack of proven and reliable mechanisms of proof, clear schemes and algorithms for the application and use of various software products that are aimed at recording the fact of transactions, determining the time and place of transactions (transfers) made by both criminals and victims. Separately in the work, the authors pay attention to the use of specialized forensic technology tools that help in retrieving and storing information, despite the complexity of modern devices and encryption systems. The work provides examples of modern software products, for example, Elcomsoft iOS Forensic Toolkit.