Cryptocurrency Seizure, Custody and Forfeiture Operations

Course overview

Tracing cryptocurrency is only half the job. Agencies across Africa have identified wallets holding proceeds of crime and then lost them because nobody could take control of the keys, the seizure was not documented properly, or the assets sat in an insecure wallet while prices swung. This crypto seizure and forfeiture course concentrates on the operational and legal steps after tracing: getting control, keeping it safely and converting it lawfully.

Participants learn how to plan a seizure, work with exchanges and custodians on freezing requests, handle seed phrases and hardware wallets found during searches, and transfer assets into agency-controlled storage. The course covers custody models, multi-signature controls, segregation of duties, record keeping, valuation at seizure and options for interim sale. Legal sessions address the orders needed at each stage and how to present virtual asset evidence to court. Participants practise every step on test wallets and a simulated search scene.

Agencies that send staff leave with a seizure checklist, a draft custody procedure and a clear view of the decisions that must be made before the next case arrives.

What you will be able to do

• Plan a virtual asset seizure, including legal authority, roles and contingencies
• Identify wallets, keys and recovery phrases during searches and interviews
• Prepare freezing and preservation requests to exchanges and custodians
• Transfer seized assets into controlled storage using secure procedures
• Compare custody models and design controls for agency-held virtual assets
• Record, value and report virtual assets from seizure to final order
• Evaluate options for interim sale and conversion under court supervision
• Present virtual asset seizure evidence clearly to a court

Who should attend

Intended for officers who plan or carry out seizures of virtual assets, and for the lawyers and finance staff who must secure and account for them. Participants should already understand basic blockchain concepts.

• Asset recovery and forfeiture officers
• Cybercrime and digital forensics investigators
• Prosecutors handling virtual asset cases
• Exhibits and property officers
• Finance officers responsible for seized assets
• FIU virtual asset specialists
• Capital markets and VASP supervisors

Course outline

Fees are per participant in US dollars and cover tuition, course materials and your certificate. Travel and accommodation are not included.