Federal investigators seized more than $25 million in cryptocurrency through five investigations into international fraud schemes linked to thousands of victims worldwide. Authorities are pursuing forfeiture while tracing overseas laundering networks and identifying the scammers involved.
Key Takeaways
Five civil forfeiture complaints cover more than $25 million in cryptocurrency.The two largest complaints involve romance scams and fraudulent investment platforms.Investigators traced much of the laundering activity to Southeast Asia.The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the U.S. Secret Service Washington Field Office announced on July 21 that the cases span multiple investigations into cryptocurrency fraud schemes conducted by the Cyber Fraud Task Force. The announcement stated:
“Multiple investigations conducted by its Cyber Fraud Task Force have resulted in the seizure of more than $25 million in cryptocurrency tied to international fraud schemes targeting residents of the United States and Canada.”
Federal prosecutors in D.C. filed five civil forfeiture complaints seeking forfeiture of the recovered cryptocurrency. Investigators identified multiple laundering networks and confirmed thousands of victims worldwide.
The largest complaint seeks approximately $12.1 million connected to romance scams involving more than 200 victims. Scammers routed the proceeds through hundreds of intermediary wallet addresses and mixed them with other victims’ funds.
Another complaint seeks about $10.4 million after Canadian authorities alerted the Secret Service to a network of cryptocurrency wallets suspected of moving illicit proceeds. Agents traced more than 270 suspected victim transactions involving fraudulent investment platforms. Those two cases represent about 85% of the assets covered by the five forfeiture complaints.
Scammers Used Fake Profits and Recovery FeesThe remaining cases involved blocked withdrawals, fraudulent investment accounts, and scammers who promised to recover previously stolen funds.
Another case involved two victims who transferred millions of dollars to the same fraudulent platform. Agents froze funds across six wallet addresses, and the related complaint seeks nearly $2.4 million.
The smallest complaint seeks approximately $285,000 from a recovery scam targeting someone who had already lost money. The perpetrators claimed they had recovered the stolen funds and demanded an upfront fee.
Investigators located most suspected launderers in Southeast Asia and identified internet protocol addresses connected to China, Malaysia, and Cambodia.
The seizures contribute to more than $800 million recovered through the Scam Center Strike Force, which the U.S. Attorney’s Office launched in November 2025. The initiative previously expanded its crackdown on Southeast Asian scam compounds through coordination with technology companies, cryptocurrency businesses, and international law enforcement agencies.
The Secret Service described the cases as active investigations:
“These five investigations are ongoing and Secret Service investigators continue to work to identify the suspects behind these scamming networks and will work with our law enforcement partners to hold them accountable.”
