The Coin Rise 2025-07-03 13:15:53

DOJ Recovers $40,300 in Crypto From Scam Impersonating Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee

US federal prosecutors have recovered $40,300 in cryptocurrency linked to an email scam that impersonated the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee, according to a complaint filed by US Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. The scheme, which tricked a donor into sending $250,300 worth of Tether’s USDt stablecoin on the Ethereum blockchain to scammers posing as committee officials, was announced by the DOJ on Wednesday. The fraudulent email, sent on December 24, 2024, appeared to come from Steve Witkoff, co-chair of the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee. By using a deceptive email domain that swapped a lowercase “l” for an “i,” scammers successfully convinced the victim to transfer the funds two days later into a crypto wallet under their control. The stolen assets were quickly moved across multiple wallets to obscure the trail. DOJ Credits Blockchain Tracing and Tether’s Support Through blockchain analysis, the FBI was able to track the stolen funds and recover $40,300 in USDT, which prosecutors now seek to return to the victim through a civil forfeiture action. The DOJ credited Tether for assisting in freezing and transferring the seized assets, highlighting the company’s ongoing cooperation with law enforcement. Assistant Director in Charge Steven Jensen of the FBI Washington Field Office emphasized the rising threat of impersonation scams, urging the public to double-check sender addresses and remain cautious about sending cryptocurrency to unknown contacts. “Scammers often use subtle differences to deceive you and gain your trust,” Jensen said. “Never send money, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or other assets to people you do not know personally or have only interacted with online or over the phone.” Crypto Scams and Enforcement Continue to Rise The recovery comes at a time when cryptocurrency scams and enforcement actions have accelerated. In June, the DOJ also acknowledged Tether’s role in helping seize around $225 million in USDT linked to a global “pig butchering” scam . In another case in May, the DOJ filed a civil forfeiture complaint to seize over $24 million in crypto tied to Russian national Rustam Gallyamov, who was accused of developing the Qakbot malware. The post DOJ Recovers $40,300 in Crypto From Scam Impersonating Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee appeared first on TheCoinrise.com .