NOT EVERY OFFICER NEEDS AN ADVANCED CRYPTOCURRENCY CERTIFICATION

Every patrol officer should be prepared when cryptocurrency appears in a call for service. This course provides affordable, immediately deployable readiness training; without travel, a fixed instructor date, or commercial blockchain-analysis software.

Agency Evaluation Program

Outside training should earn an agency’s confidence. U.S. law-enforcement agencies seriously considering Beyond the Initial Report: Investigating Cryptocurrency on Patrol may request one complimentary enrollment for a motivated patrol officer or deputy selected by the agency. The participant receives access to the complete course, not a limited preview, and completes the same practical exercise, knowledge checks, final assessment, and certificate requirements as every paid enrollee. This gives your agency firsthand insight before deciding whether to enroll additional personnel. In return, I ask the participant to provide honest private feedback about their experience with the course. *Available to a limited number of U.S. law-enforcement agencies before their first departmental enrollment. Each evaluation must be requested or confirmed by an agency training or command representative using an official, verifiable agency email address.* Send the Agency Evaluation Program Request to: [email protected]

RECOGNIZE WHAT YOU'RE SEEING

Cryptocurrency-related crimes rarely arrive labeled as “crypto cases.” They may begin as fraud, theft, a scam, a suspicious incident, or even a violent crime. Officers learn to recognize cryptocurrency indicators, understand common terminology, and identify investigative opportunities that might otherwise be missed.

GO BEYOND THE INITIAL REPORT

Officers learn to conduct a stronger initial interview, ask better questions, preserve wallet addresses, transaction hashes, ATM receipts, and communications, and document information follow-up investigators can use. The course also addresses cryptocurrency-related officer-safety considerations.

TRACE CRYPTO TRANSACTIONS

Using free, open-source tools, officers follow a real transaction across the blockchain and document their findings in a Cryptocurrency Transaction Tracing Log. They do not simply watch someone else perform a trace. They complete it themselves.

Active, Applied Training

100% ONLINE, ON-DEMAND TRAINING This is not a passive series of talking-head videos.  Officers complete structured instruction, four knowledge checks, guided exercises, and a final assessment designed to reinforce the course material. Using free, open-source tools, each officer traces a real-world transaction and documents the results in a Cryptocurrency Transaction Tracing Log. The purpose is not to turn patrol officers into blockchain experts. It is to develop the practical understanding needed to recognize, investigate, and properly document cryptocurrency-related calls. Each officer receives a certificate of completion, providing the officer and agency with a record of completed training.

What You'll Learn

6 Chapters · 63 Lessons

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Course Introduction

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      Meet Your Instructor

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      Beyond the Initial Report: Your Role in a Cryptocurrency Investigation

    4. (Included in full purchase)

      Course Length & Time to Complete

    5. (Included in full purchase)

      Fake Phishing Site Warning: Ethersacn.live (Example)

    6. (Included in full purchase)

      Tips for Completing the Practical Application Exercises

    7. (Included in full purchase)

      Introduction Knowledge Check

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Cryptocurrency Refresher Intro

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      What is Cryptocurrency?

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      What is Blockchain?

    4. (Included in full purchase)

      Blockchain Transparency and Pseudonymity

    5. (Included in full purchase)

      Bitcoin (BTC)

    6. (Included in full purchase)

      Ethereum (ETH)

    7. (Included in full purchase)

      Coins -vs- Tokens

    8. (Included in full purchase)

      Stablecoins and Tether (USDT)

    9. (Included in full purchase)

      Why Cryptocurrency Matters to Law Enforcement

    10. (Included in full purchase)

      Cryptocurrency Refresher: Knowledge Check

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Cryptocurrency Wallets

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      Wallet Addresses

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      Transaction (Txn)

    4. (Included in full purchase)

      Transaction Hash / Transaction ID (TXID)

    5. (Included in full purchase)

      Custodial Wallets

    6. (Included in full purchase)

      Centralized Cryptocurrency Exchanges (CEX)

    7. (Included in full purchase)

      Non-Custodial Wallets

    8. (Included in full purchase)

      Decentralized Exchanges (DEX)

    9. (Included in full purchase)

      Blockchain Explorers

    10. (Included in full purchase)

      Hardware Wallets

    11. (Included in full purchase)

      Private Keys and Seed / Recovery Phrases

    12. (Included in full purchase)

      Cryptocurrency/Bitcoin ATMS

    13. (Included in full purchase)

      QR Codes

    14. (Included in full purchase)

      Important Crypto Vocab: Knowledge Check

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Two Scenarios: Cryptocurrency Stolen FROM the Victim vs. Sent BY the Victim

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      Cryptocurrency Theft

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      Romance Scam

    4. (Included in full purchase)

      Investment Scams

    5. (Included in full purchase)

      Pig Butchering / Relationship Investment Scams

    6. (Included in full purchase)

      Imposter Scam

    7. (Included in full purchase)

      Tech Support Scam

    8. (Included in full purchase)

      Wrench Attacks: When Cryptocurrency Crime Becomes Physical

    9. (Included in full purchase)

      Cryptocurrency ATMs in Fraud Investigations - Part 1

    10. (Included in full purchase)

      Cryptocurrency ATMs in Fraud Investigations - Part 2

    11. (Included in full purchase)

      Conducting the Initial Victim Interview

    12. (Included in full purchase)

      Critical Cryptocurrency Transaction Information to Obtain

    13. (Included in full purchase)

      Identifying and Preserving Cryptocurrency Information/Evidence

    14. (Included in full purchase)

      CEX, Non-Custodial Wallet, or Crypto ATM: Why It Matters

    15. (Included in full purchase)

      Time Matters: Moving the Investigation Forward

    16. (Included in full purchase)

      Initial Investigation: Knowledge Check

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Introduction to Open-Source Cryptocurrency Transaction Tracing

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      Understanding Where a Cryptocurrency Trace May Lead

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      Pro-Tip: Open Link in a New Tab

    4. (Included in full purchase)

      Multiple Layers of Confirmation - Important

    5. (Included in full purchase)

      UTC Time Converter

    6. (Included in full purchase)

      Using Etherscan

    7. (Included in full purchase)

      Understanding Etherscan's Account-Based Model

    8. (Included in full purchase)

      Practical Application Exercise: Pig Butchering Victim

    9. (Included in full purchase)

      Documenting Transcation Tracing in a Report: Pig Butchering Victim

    10. (Included in full purchase)

      Putting It All Together: A Sample Narrative

    11. (Included in full purchase)

      Practical Application Exercise: Complete a Cryptocurrency Transaction Tracing Log (CTTL)

    12. (Included in full purchase)

      CTTL Takeaways

    13. (Included in full purchase)

      What Happens When Your Trace Reaches a Centralized Cryptocurrency Exchange?

    14. (Included in full purchase)

      BONUS Practical Application Exercise: Etherscan Wallet Watch

    15. (Included in full purchase)

      Final Knowledge Check

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Bringing It All Together: From Initial Call to Actionable Investigation

What Officers and Students Are Saying

Beyond the Initial Report is new, but my experience delivering online and in-person cryptocurrency-investigation training is not. Here’s what officers and students have said after completing my previous cryptocurrency-investigation training.

”
I attended Larry Nielsen’s FinTech Crypto Tracing course in March 2023. Since learning the basics of crypto tracing from his class, I have had much success tracing and seizing crypto funds. In the past few months, I have seized about $50,000 USD in crypto from all over the world. I’ve also created crypto investigations policy and a government-controlled wallet account for our Department with information obtained from Larry’s course. I highly recommend this course for any investigator looking to expand their financial cases into cryptocurrency.
LE Detective | Previous In-Person Training, March 2023

Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake (Utah)

”
“I am current law enforcement and a financial crimes detective in Arizona. I’ve been to several trainings and none really gave tracing exercises with Ethereum. I was very happy with your course as it really helped me understand the how-you-got-there questions and how to use Etherscan better. The documentation examples are gold as it shows a good example of keeping it simple. Again, thank you for the straight to the point, no nonsense course that is investigator oriented.”
Financial Crimes Detective | Arizona

Previous Online/On-demand Cryptocurrency Investigation Training

”
“Great class! I knew a bit, no pun intended, about crypto, but after this class I know a lot more. What I learned makes working a crypto-crime case less intimidating.” “Excellent class. I learned a lot of useful investigative tools. I’m calling one of my victims tomorrow to take the case further. I will highly recommend this class.” “Great training. It provided a baseline for cryptocurrency investigations. Without this training, I would have had no clue what to do.” “Even though I had no previous experience with the topic, I feel more confident because of what I learned. Excellent class—it was broken down in a way I could understand.”
Multiple Course Evaluation Comments from Law Enforcement Officers Attending My  In-Person Training Sessions

Florida

”
I’m happy to share that I’ve obtained a new certification: Tracing USDT from Pig Butchering / CTTL from Fintech Focus Training and Consulting! With Layer-2 Pig Butchering scams on the rise, Larry Nielsen at Fintech Focus Training and Consulting provides all the foundational tools you need to build your investigation from start to finish.  Even if you're already familiar with manual blockchain tracing, I promise you'll take away something new from this course 😊  Beyond grateful for his guidance and expertise as we continue to shine a light on these horribly abusive scams.
Victoria Fife | Previous Online/On-Demand Training

Forensic Accountant & Digital Assets Expert

Ready to Prepare for Your Next Cryptocurrency-Related Call?

Approximately 8 Hours | Online & On-Demand | Certificate Included

$199.00

Enroll now

Why I Built This Course

I have worked both ends of these investigations: as the patrol officer taking the initial report and as the Financial Crimes Detective receiving it and deciding what happened next. Patrol officers should not be expected to become blockchain experts, but they can do more than recognize cryptocurrency and write a basic report. With the right training, they can ask stronger questions, preserve better information, recognize investigative opportunities, and give follow-up investigators a stronger starting point. I chose an online, on-demand format so officers can complete the training around shifts, staffing, court, and calls for service; without travel or removing an entire group from the road.

About Your Instructor

I’VE WORKED BOTH ENDS OF THE INVESTIGATION I’m Larry Nielsen, a retired law-enforcement officer with 18 years of experience, including 10 years on patrol and eight years investigating financial crimes as a detective with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. As a Financial Crimes Detective, I investigated cryptocurrency-related cases, traced transactions using blockchain-analysis and open-source tools, and successfully recovered cryptocurrency; including approximately $29,000 for an elderly couple victimized by a tech-support scam. I began teaching cryptocurrency-investigation topics to law enforcement in 2021 and held FDLE Instructor Certification, Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) Certification, and a Chainalysis Reactor (CRC) Certification, before retiring. I understand these cases from both sides: taking the initial report and receiving that report as the detective determining what happens next. I built this course around the information, evidence, and practical skills patrol officers need when cryptocurrency appears in a call for service.

Technology Requirement

A desktop or laptop computer with internet access is required for the hands-on exercises. A second monitor is helpful but not required. This course is not designed to be completed on a mobile phone or tablet.

Prepare Your Officers for the Next Cryptocurrency-Related Call

Approximately 8 Hours | Online and On-Demand | Practical Exercises | Certificate of Completion | 90 Days of Access Individual enrollment: $199 Training multiple officers? Discounted agency enrollment is available. Contact [email protected].

$199.00

Enroll Now