US Authorities Aim To Return Seized Crypto To Scam Victims

According to Cointelegraph, U.S. authorities are in the process of returning $8.2 million in cryptocurrency that was frozen and seized from three scam addresses. This effort is aimed at compensating victims of a fraudulent scheme involving deceptive messages and a fake investment opportunity. The scam operated by sending messages to random phone numbers, pretending to have dialed the wrong number. Scammers would then build a rapport with the recipients, eventually persuading them to invest in a fraudulent cryptocurrency scheme. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has identified 33 individuals who fell victim to this scam, with five more yet to be identified. The total losses reported amount to $6 million, as stated in a February 28 announcement from the Ohio District Attorney’s office. The investigation began after a victim filed a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center in June. A subsequent blockchain analysis revealed that a portion of the stolen funds had been converted into Tether (USDT) and transferred to the three cryptocurrency addresses in question. Following the execution of a federal seizure warrant, Tether froze the funds and transferred them to a law-enforcement-controlled wallet, where they have remained. On February 27, a forfeiture complaint was filed in an Ohio District Court by acting U.S. Attorney for Ohio Carol Skutnik and Assistant U.S. Attorney James Morford. They are requesting the court to forfeit all funds in the three addresses so they can be returned to the victims. The complaint notes that the accounts contained additional funds beyond the victims’ traceable losses, which were involved in money laundering and wire fraud, totaling $8.2 million. The complaint further explains that the scammers contacted victims through seemingly innocuous, misdirected, or "wrong number" messages sent via text, dating apps, and professional meet-up groups. The fraudsters gained the victims' trust and affection through manipulative tactics. Once trust was established, they shared personal testimonials of success in cryptocurrency investments, which reduced the victims' skepticism and persuaded them to invest. Victims were allegedly guided to open legitimate crypto exchange accounts and transfer funds to a fraudulent site controlled by the scammers, which promised high returns and encouraged further investments. In one case, an Ohio woman was tricked into sending more money under the pretense of needing additional payments to release her initial funds. After losing her life savings of $663,000, she was unable to send more money, and the fraudsters allegedly threatened harm to her friends and family unless she complied. Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis reported in its February 13 Crypto Scam Revenue 2024 report that generative AI is making scams more scalable and affordable for bad actors, potentially leading to record losses in 2025. Meanwhile, on-chain security firm Cyvers highlights that pig butchering scams pose a significant threat to crypto investors, with losses reaching billions across 200,000 identified cases in 2024.