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Cash Still Reigns in Crime — Why Crypto Is Actually Making Things Harder for Criminals

  • Writer: Kennedy Journal
    Kennedy Journal
  • 5 hours ago
  • 2 min read

A recent New York Post headline warned: “Cryptocurrency use explodes in human trafficking networks, online scams.” The article cites Chainalysis data showing an ~85% rise in illicit crypto volume in 2025.


It's alarming on the surface.

But context matters.


The full picture shows crypto is not fueling crime more than ever—it's making crime harder to hide than ever before.



1. Cash Remains the King of Anonymous CrimeAccording to the FBI, UNODC, Europol, and multiple law enforcement reports:

  • Cash accounts for 80–90% of all illicit transactions globally (drug deals, human trafficking, extortion, scams).

  • Why?

    • Completely anonymous

    • No blockchain trail

    • No KYC

    • No wallet addresses

    • No seizure possible once handed over


Crypto?

Even privacy coins and mixers leave traces that investigators exploit daily.

Cash doesn't.

If we're measuring “explosion” in crime facilitation, cash is still the undisputed leader by orders of magnitude.


  1. The Real Story Behind the 85% Crypto Surge

Yes, Chainalysis reported an increase in illicit crypto activity in 2025.


But look closer:

  • Total crypto transaction volume grew massively in the same period (adoption exploded: more wallets, more exchanges, more mainstream use).

  • Illicit share actually declined as a percentage of overall activity—from ~2.1% in 2021 to <0.34% in recent estimates.

  • Criminals follow money.


    When gold boomed, crime used gold.

    When cash dominated, crime used cash.

    Now crypto is growing—so criminals are experimenting.


    But the blockchain's transparency is catching them faster than cash ever did.




3. Crypto's Built-in Accountability

Every on-chain transaction is permanent, public, traceable.

Law enforcement has seized billions in illicit crypto since 2020 (Chainalysis, FBI, IRS, Europol).


Examples:

  • 2024–2025 record seizures from ransomware groups, darknet markets, trafficking networks

  • Wallet clustering and chain analysis tools now identify suspects with high accuracy

  • Stablecoins (USDC, RLUSD) and regulated exchanges require KYC—closing anonymity loopholes


Cash has none of this.

Once it's gone, it's gone.

Crypto's ledger is a permanent witness.

That's why seizures are rising while cash crimes stay hidden.


4. Why the Fear Narrative Misses the Bigger Picture

Headlines like the NYPost's focus on raw growth numbers without context.


They ignore:

  • Crypto's role in financial inclusion (unbanked populations, high-inflation countries, remittances without corruptible middlemen)

  • Humanitarian aid tracking on-chain (verifiable donations, transparent relief)

  • DeFi reducing reliance on centralized, corruptible systems


Crypto isn't perfect.

Scams exist.

Volatility hurts.

But it's evolving toward accountability, not away from it.

Cash is the real anonymous king.

Crypto is the transparent challenger—and it's winning.


5. Our Take at Kennedy Journal

We cover AI, crypto, tech because we believe in positive futures.

Crypto isn't the villain.

It's infrastructure for abundance—tools for convergence, not crime.


Fear sells clicks.

Truth builds tomorrow.


Let's keep the conversation factual, hopeful, and forward-looking.


Crypto's growing pains are real, but so is its potential to make the world more transparent, more inclusive, more uplifting.


Subscribe for more positive takes on AI, crypto, and the convergence era.



By Melisa S. Kennedy & Ra’jhan

Co-Editors, The Kennedy Journal | AI, Crypto, Tech Newspaper




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