As the crypto market continues to offer lucrative opportunities for investors, it has also attracted malicious actors who consistently devise new schemes to defraud inexperienced or beginner investors.
The latest press release by the US Department of Justice (DoJ) highlighted a recent example of such fraud. The report revealed that an Ohio man fell victim to a cryptocurrency scam and lost his life savings to fraudulent activities.
How It Went Down
As reported by the DoJ, the incident began in October 2023 when the Elyria resident encountered a pop-up window on his computer warning of a “technical issue.”
Following the prompt, he called the provided number, only to be told that his retirement account had been compromised. The scammers falsely claimed that funds from his account were being wired to China, Russia, and a Las Vegas casino.
To resolve the issue, the victim granted remote access to his computer, unknowingly giving the scammers full control over his financial accounts. Over time, the fraudsters transferred $425,000, the victim’s life savings, into various cryptocurrency wallets.
The stolen funds were eventually converted into 947,883 Tether (USDT), a blockchain-based stablecoin, and transferred to a digital wallet.
The Federal Authorities Intervention
Federal investigators used “blockchain analysis” to trace the stolen cryptocurrency following the theft. On July 31, 2024, law enforcement executed a federal seizure warrant, recovering the stolen 947,883 USDT tokens and transferring them to a government-controlled virtual wallet.
The US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio has since filed a civil forfeiture complaint seeking to confiscate the recovered funds. If successful, the government plans to provide compensation to the victim.
The complaint also alleges that additional cryptocurrency in the associated wallet is subject to forfeiture as fraud proceeds. However, the claims in the complaint remain allegations at this stage, requiring proof by a “preponderance of the evidence” during trial.
According to the report, Tether facilitated the investigation. The US Department of Justice noted:
The FBI Cleveland Division is actively investigating cryptocurrency fraud schemes perpetrated on victims throughout the United States, including in the Northern District of Ohio. The United States is represented in this matter by Assistant United States Attorney James L. Morford. The USAO would like to acknowledge Tether for its assistance in this matter.
Notably, this incident is just one of many crypto-related fraud cases uncovered by the US Department of Justice in recent months. Earlier this month, the department exposed a $73 million crypto laundering operation.
One of the key individuals involved, Daren Li, admitted guilt by pleading guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering using cryptocurrency, marking a significant step toward justice.
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