Crypto Sting Unveiled: DOJ Seizes $868K After Web of Romance Turns Dark
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on May 23 that federal authorities have confiscated over $868K in cryptocurrency allegedly derived from a deceptive investment scheme. The operation targeted individuals through unsolicited texts, dating apps, and networking sites, ultimately manipulating victims into transferring funds to fraudulent crypto platforms. The FBI Honolulu Field Office is investigating this case. The DOJ stated:
The United States has seized over $868,247 worth of cryptocurrency from perpetrators of a cryptocurrency confidence scheme. The fraudsters, posing as friendly contacts or romantic interests, gradually earned the trust of their targets before encouraging investment in fake digital asset ventures. These investment sites, created to resemble legitimate platforms, showed artificially high returns to entice larger deposits. Tether played a role in facilitating the transfer of the seized assets, the Justice Department noted. Authorities urge anyone affected by similar online frauds to file a report through the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.
The DOJ explained:
On its surface, the fraudulent platforms often show lucrative returns, encouraging further investment; underneath, all deposited funds are routed to a cryptocurrency wallet address controlled completely by the perpetrators. Victims were sometimes permitted to withdraw a portion of their “profits” early in the scheme to build trust and lend credibility to the platform. As the scheme progresses, victims encounter obstacles when attempting to access their funds and receive various explanations for the delays. Eventually, they are locked out of their accounts and lose all their money.
On May 23, the U.S. Department of Justice also announced it had recovered approximately $2.5 million in cryptocurrency tied to similar schemes, following an investigation by the FBI’s San Diego Field Office.