Australian Crypto Laundering Crackdown: ASIC Charges Four Over $35M Fake Bond Scam

Key Points

1. ASIC charged four men, including Dimitrios Podaridis, for a $35 million crypto laundering scheme involving fake bonds offering fixed returns.

2. The scheme used high-quality fake prospectuses mimicking major financial institutions to attract investors.

3. ASIC has disabled over 10,000 malicious websites and processed 1,500 victim claims totaling $35.8 million in losses across 14 countries.

4. The Queensland Joint Organised Crime Taskforce executed 14 search warrants and identified $190 million in illicit funds processed by the scheme.

5. CertiK reported $2.2 billion in crypto losses in the first half of 2025, with wallet breaches and phishing scams accounting for the majority.