The Secret Service Recovers $25 Million in Crypto From Five Separate Investigations

Five Investigations Target Millions successful Stolen Crypto

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the U.S. Secret Service Washington Field Office announced connected July 21 that the cases span aggregate investigations into cryptocurrency fraud schemes conducted by the Cyber Fraud Task Force. The announcement stated:

“Multiple investigations conducted by its Cyber Fraud Task Force person resulted successful the seizure of much than $25 cardinal successful cryptocurrency tied to planetary fraud schemes targeting residents of the United States and Canada.”

Federal prosecutors successful D.C. filed 5 civilian forfeiture complaints seeking forfeiture of the recovered cryptocurrency. Investigators identified aggregate laundering networks and confirmed thousands of victims worldwide.

The largest ailment seeks astir $12.1 cardinal connected to romance scams involving much than 200 victims. Scammers routed the proceeds done hundreds of intermediary wallet addresses and mixed them with different victims’ funds.

Another ailment seeks astir $10.4 cardinal aft Canadian authorities alerted the Secret Service to a web of cryptocurrency wallets suspected of moving illicit proceeds. Agents traced much than 270 suspected unfortunate transactions involving fraudulent concern platforms. Those 2 cases correspond astir 85% of the assets covered by the 5 forfeiture complaints.

Scammers Used Fake Profits and Recovery Fees

The remaining cases progressive blocked withdrawals, fraudulent concern accounts, and scammers who promised to retrieve antecedently stolen funds.

One unfortunate invested done an seemingly morganatic cryptocurrency level earlier the operators chopped disconnected interaction erstwhile the unfortunate requested a withdrawal. Authorities question astir $1.2 cardinal from that operation.

Another lawsuit progressive 2 victims who transferred millions of dollars to the aforesaid fraudulent platform. Agents froze funds crossed six wallet addresses, and the related ailment seeks astir $2.4 million.

The smallest ailment seeks astir $285,000 from a betterment scam targeting idiosyncratic who had already mislaid money. The perpetrators claimed they had recovered the stolen funds and demanded an upfront fee.

The FBI precocious warned that AI-enabled fraudsters are progressively targeting erstwhile scam victims done blase betterment schemes, reinforcing the increasing menace posed by follow-on cryptocurrency fraud.

Reported Fraud Losses Show the Wider Threat

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) 2025 Internet Crime Complaint Center Annual Report recorded 1,008,597 complaints and $20.88 cardinal successful reported losses, up 26% from 2024. Investment fraud produced astir $8.65 cardinal successful losses, portion cryptocurrency appeared successful 181,565 complaints.

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Scam Center Strike Force Disruption Week disrupted much than 1.4 cardinal scam-linked societal media and email accounts during May 2026. Participating companies besides froze much than $3.8 cardinal successful cryptocurrency, portion Thai authorities arrested 7 suspected scammers.

Overseas Laundering Networks Remain Under Investigation

Investigators located astir suspected launderers successful Southeast Asia and identified net protocol addresses connected to China, Malaysia, and Cambodia.

The seizures lend to much than $800 cardinal recovered done the Scam Center Strike Force, which the U.S. Attorney’s Office launched successful November 2025. The inaugural antecedently expanded its crackdown connected Southeast Asian scam compounds done coordination with exertion companies, cryptocurrency businesses, and planetary instrumentality enforcement agencies.

The Secret Service described the cases arsenic progressive investigations:

“These 5 investigations are ongoing and Secret Service investigators proceed to enactment to place the suspects down these scamming networks and volition enactment with our instrumentality enforcement partners to clasp them accountable.”

Singapore’s constabulary person besides demonstrated however exchanges tin assistance disrupt fraud, preventing millions successful losses done coordinated intervention, illustrating the increasing relation of planetary practice against crypto-enabled scams.

Potential victims tin interaction a section Secret Service tract bureau and taxable a ailment done the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.