FBI seizes bitcoins from foreign scammers posing as US law enforcement officers
Bitcoin and digital assets were seized in connection with a fraud scheme targeting the elderly, it was announced on Friday by the US Attorney for the District of Connecticut and Special Acting Agent for the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Has been taken. Elaborating further, he informed that around 151 bitcoins as well as other digital assets have been seized as a result of the investigation into a fraud scheme targeting vulnerable and victimized sections. The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the US Secret Service and the US Marshals Services. At the time of writing the value of the seized bitcoins was approximately $3.5 million. The scam, which took place in October 2020, involved foreign individuals pretending to be members of US law enforcement agencies, and according to officials, they targeted vulnerable individuals, including first-generation US citizens and elderly individuals. Through phone calls, he informed the victims that their identities had been compromised. After gaining the confidence of the video, the fraudster had apparently requested or made a successful transfer of money for safekeeping and also promised to return the money with interest as stated in the announcement. went. Once it was established that foreign access to the victims’ money was established, they moved it through multiple bank accounts and the money was converted into digital currency in the form of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. The announcement said law enforcement investigators had traced victims’ money through different accounts and also identified a digital wallet containing bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies that were purchased with victims’ money. Officials also note that foreign scammers remain at large. According to the announcement, it is clarified that a civil asset forfeiture warrant has been served for Digital Wallet to the US Attorney’s Office. The United States (US) Attorney’s Office used the civil asset forfeiture process because the digital assets constituted the proceeds of the wire fraud.
