What to know:
- DOJ seeks over $25 million in crypto tied to investment, romance, and recovery scams.
- The largest complaint targets $12.1 million linked to scams affecting over 200 victims.
- Interpol’s global operation led to 5,811 arrests and intercepted $283 million in assets.
The DOJ crypto seizure targets more than $25 million in digital assets through five forfeiture complaints. Authorities linked the funds to international investment, romance, and recovery scams. Victims were in Canada and the United States.
The US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia announced the cases on Tuesday. Secret Service agents in Washington joined the action. The Cyber Fraud Task Force conducted separate investigations.
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How DOJ Traced $22.5M in Scams to Southeast Asia
Investigators uncovered several laundering networks during the DOJ crypto seizure inquiries. They identified thousands of victims worldwide. Scammers had presented fraudulent digital asset investments as legitimate opportunities.
The largest complaint requests a restitution amount of $12.1 million for romance scams involving more than 200 victims. The authorities indicated that proceeds had been transferred using intermediary addresses. Operators had mixed their proceeds with those from other victims.
A further complaint seeks $10.4 million related to more than 270 victim transactions. Three complaints concerning fraudulent investment accounts. One involved a recovery scam that promised to retrieve money already stolen from victims.
According to the DOJ, the suspects were mainly located in Southeast Asia. The DOJ crypto seizure inquiries found related IP addresses in three countries. These included China, Malaysia, and Cambodia.
It is evident from the complaints that the scammers integrated social engineering with fraudulent trading platforms. Stolen funds had been transferred to cryptocurrency wallets.
What the DOJ Crypto Seizure Reveals About Romance Scams
The DOJ crypto seizure came after Interpol’s Operation First Light 2026. The operation involved 97 countries and territories. It resulted in 5,811 arrests and interception of $283 million worth of illicit assets.
According to Interpol, more than 142,000 victims have been identified during the operation. Over 31,000 bank accounts had been blocked. The data include victims of social engineering scams and financial systems processing criminal proceeds.
In Thailand, authorities discovered a network alleged to have converted romance scam proceeds to cryptocurrency. Cross-chain swaps had been used to hide the trail. A particular linked wallet had processed more than $122.5 million in ten months.
DOJ crypto seizure adds to other enforcement actions by the US recently. Federal agents seized more than $61 million in USDT in February. The addresses had laundered proceeds from fraudulent investment platforms.
Investigations revealed that the scammers gained the trust of victims initially by engaging in romantic relationships. Scammers would later direct the victims to use fake trading platforms. Stolen funds were transferred through several wallets before authorities traced the transactions.
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