FBI Agents Now Forced to Learn 7 New Languages to Track International Crypto Scams

December 12, 2X21 - Washington D.C.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation announced today that agents will now be required to become fluent in seven new languages to bolster efforts against growing international crypto crime rings.

"Cryptocurrency scams and fraud are reaching epidemic levels worldwide, and the criminals behind these schemes are increasingly operating across borders," said FBI Director Christopher Wray. "We simply do not have enough multilingual agents with the technical skills to track crypto crooks effectively."

The seven languages agents will be required to learn are: Mandarin Chinese, Russian, Arabic, Portuguese, Hindi, Japanese, and Korean. Several regional FBI offices will also hire additional agents fluent in Spanish, French, German, and Italian to cover other major global regions.

Agents have already faced stressful demands, with many required to become experts in digital forensics, blockchain analysis, and crypto trading techniques to understand the kinds of crimes they investigate. The new language requirements are meant to close dangerous "linguistic loopholes" that allow scammers to operate with impunity.

Critics argue that requiring mastery of 13 languages places an undue burden on FBI agents and reduces time available for active casework. However, Wray insists that improving transnational cooperation is necessary to bring down highly-organized networks that launder billions in ill-gotten funds each year.

The crypto crime unit at FBI headquarters will develop new training programs to help boost agent proficiency as quickly and affordably as possible. "While we tackle this problem with the resources at hand, we ask that all U.S. citizens remain vigilant against fraud and scams targeting people seeking to participate in cryptocurrency markets," Wray said. The FBI remains committed to weeding out threat actors hiding behind digital currencies and the anonymity they supposedly provide. The fight against crypto crime is only just beginning.