The Australian Federal Police (AFP) successfully cracked a coded cryptocurrency wallet holding $5.9 million in a major breakthrough for digital forensics. The feat was achieved after a data scientist deciphered an encrypted numerical sequence found on a suspect’s phone.
Police Unravel a $5.9 Million Crypto Mystery
The Australian Federal Police have cracked a crypto wallet backup containing 9 million Australian dollars ($5.9 million), unveiling what Commissioner Krissy Barrett called “miraculous work.” The recovery was part of an investigation into an alleged criminal accused of using tech-based products to launder money through cryptocurrency sales.
During the investigation, police discovered password-protected notes and an image of random numbers and words on the suspect’s phone. The coded material contained six groups of over 50 number combinations. The AFP’s digital forensics team determined it was likely tied to a crypto wallet, but the suspect refused to share the decryption key — an offense that carries up to 10 years in prison under Australian law.
The “Crypto Safe Cracker” Behind the Breakthrough
The turning point came when an AFP data scientist — now nicknamed the agency’s “crypto safe cracker” — uncovered the wallet’s secret. He realized the suspect had added decoy numbers to mislead investigators, creating what he called a “crypto booby prize.”
By carefully analyzing the sequence, the expert discovered that removing the first number in each string revealed a pattern consistent with a 24-word seed phrase. This crucial insight allowed the AFP to recover the hidden funds, a major win for digital forensic investigation in Australia.
Pattern Recognition and Human Intuition
The data scientist explained that the number strings “didn’t look computer-generated” — an important clue that led to the breakthrough. “Some of the sequences felt wrong,” he said, noting that the suspect’s human-made modifications were inconsistent with standard cryptographic randomization.
This combination of human intuition and technical expertise was key. The AFP’s digital team blended traditional forensic methods with advanced pattern recognition tools to decode the complex numerical puzzle. It’s an example of how cybersecurity and cryptanalysis are evolving to tackle new forms of digital crime.
A History of Digital Recoveries
This wasn’t the AFP’s first crypto recovery. The same data scientist had previously helped recover over $3 million in stolen digital assets using a different decoding approach. His innovative methods have now become part of the agency’s growing toolkit for combating crypto-related crime.
Both recoveries were carried out by the AFP-led Criminal Assets Confiscation Taskforce. Once the courts confirm the seizure, the confiscated funds will be transferred into a commonwealth account and redistributed by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke to support national crime prevention initiatives.
Strengthening Law Enforcement in the Age of Crypto
The AFP’s success highlights how digital forensics is becoming central to modern law enforcement. With crypto crimes on the rise, the agency is investing in new technologies and expertise to trace, recover, and repurpose illicit funds.
Commissioner Barrett said the victory sent a strong message to organized criminals: “You can run your schemes in the digital world, but we are catching up fast.” As crypto continues to reshape global finance, the AFP’s latest win shows that even the most complex encryption can be cracked with persistence and innovation.