Sep 13, 2024

SEPCA Regional Cybercrime Workshop “Cryptocurrency and Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation”

In alignment with the priorities of the Serbian SEPCA Presidency, the SEPCA Regional Cybercrime Workshop titled “Cryptocurrency and Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation” took place from September 11th to 13th, 2024, in Podgorica, Montenegro.

Hosted at the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C), the workshop was supported by the Council of Europe – CyberSEE Project, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro and BK Austria.

Police managers and investigators of Cybercrime Units of Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria and Austria, joined the event and enhanced their knowledge on tools, techniques and good practices for investigation of virtual currencies and online sexual exploitation and abuse.

Held in an interactive learning format, the training contributed to the development of practical skills through real case studies and exercises on blockchain analysis, crypto wallets and tracing and seizing virtual coins. It also covered existing tools for collecting electronic evidence in online child sexual abuse cases, as well as the use of cryptocurrencies by suspects involved in producing and distributing such materials.

This partnership among regional and international experts emphasized the importance of improving investigative methods and tracking cryptocurrency transactions, aiming to bolster cybercrime prevention and ensure greater digital safety.