Destination of funds

• Forward tracing: following funds from an address or event under investigation, such as a victim's address, to identify the paths taken and the addresses, clusters or services that received them. As funds move through successive transactions, the flow may branch across multiple destinations, so analysts should define stopping criteria (see Source of funds).

Identifying where funds appear to reside does not necessarily establish who controls them or whether the same value remains there. At custodial services, investigators may identify value credited to a customer account rather than trace specific units of cryptocurrency. Any estimate of the amount remaining attributable to the original funds depends on the tracing method applied (see Tracing methods). Where assets are located at a service or issuer capable of restricting access, the findings may support a freeze request.