The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the U.S. Secret Service’s Washington Field Office said on July 21 that a cyber fraud task force has seized more than $25 million in cryptocurrency tied to international fraud schemes targeting residents in the United States and Canada. Federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C. have filed five civil forfeiture complaints seeking to confiscate the recovered assets.
Investigators said they identified multiple money laundering networks and thousands of victims worldwide. The largest complaint centers on a romance scam involving more than 200 victims and roughly $12.1 million. Another complaint involves a suspicious cryptocurrency wallet network that Canadian authorities referred to the U.S. Secret Service, with about $10.4 million at issue. Agents also traced more than 270 suspected victim transactions linked to fake investment platforms. Those two cases account for about 85% of the assets covered by the five forfeiture actions. The remaining cases involve blocked withdrawals, fake investment accounts, and recovery scams. Investigations are still ongoing.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the U.S. Secret Service Washington Field Office said on July 21 that a cyber fraud task force had recovered more than $25 million in cryptocurrency tied to international fraud schemes targeting residents in the United States and Canada.
Federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C. have filed five civil forfeiture complaints seeking to seize the recovered crypto assets. Investigators said they identified multiple money laundering networks and thousands of victims worldwide.
Two complaints make up about 85% of the assets
The largest complaint involves a romance scam with more than 200 victims and about $12.1 million in funds.
A separate complaint concerns a suspicious cryptocurrency wallet network that Canadian authorities reported to the U.S. Secret Service, involving about $10.4 million. Agents traced more than 270 suspected victim transactions linked to fake investment platforms.
Those two matters account for about 85% of the assets covered by the five forfeiture complaints.
Other cases remain under investigation
The remaining cases involve blocked withdrawals, fake investment accounts, and recovery scams. Investigators said most suspected money launderers are located in Southeast Asia, and they identified internet protocol addresses connected to China, Malaysia, and Cambodia.
All five investigations are still ongoing.
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