US Justice Department Returns Stolen Bitcoin to Victim of Government Imposter Scam

2 years ago

US Justice Department Returns Stolen Bitcoin to a Victim of Government Imposter Scam

The U.S. Justice Department has seized bitcoin stolen from an aged antheral successful a authorities imposter scam and volition beryllium returning the cryptocurrency to him. “The fraudsters deceived the unfortunate into believing his idiosyncratic accusation had been utilized to facilitate a cause trafficking and wealth laundering scheme,” elaborate the DOJ.

DOJ Returns Bitcoin Stolen From Elderly Victim

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Tuesday “the palmy forfeiture and instrumentality of stolen cryptocurrency to [an] aged antheral victimized by authorities imposter scam.”

The DOJ explained that successful August past year, fraudsters contacted the unfortunate by telephone claiming to beryllium with the Office of the Inspector General, adding:

The fraudsters deceived the unfortunate into believing his idiosyncratic accusation had been utilized to facilitate a cause trafficking and wealth laundering scheme, and arsenic a effect each of the victim’s assets would beryllium frozen.

“One of the imposters, who identified himself arsenic cause James Hoffman, told the unfortunate that helium was required to deposit funds into a unafraid authorities relationship until the authorities verified that the unfortunate was not progressive successful transgression activity,” said the Justice Department.

The scammers further demanded each of the victim’s idiosyncratic identifying accusation and details regarding his fiscal accounts, the DOJ noted.

They proceeded to nonstop the unfortunate to “use hundreds of thousands of dollars of his status funds” to acquisition bitcoin done cryptocurrency speech Coinbase.

According to the DOJ:

On August 31, 2021, 12.164699 bitcoin, worthy astir $574,766, was transferred from the victim’s Coinbase relationship to the relationship controlled by the imposters.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Coinbase yet identified the transportation arsenic imaginable elder fiscal fraud. “Following an probe and palmy civilian forfeiture proceedings, the seized cryptocurrency was forfeited to the United States and volition beryllium returned to the victim,” the Justice Department confirmed.

What bash you deliberation astir this case? Let america cognize successful the comments conception below.

Kevin Helms

A pupil of Austrian Economics, Kevin recovered Bitcoin successful 2011 and has been an evangelist ever since. His interests prevarication successful Bitcoin security, open-source systems, web effects and the intersection betwixt economics and cryptography.

Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons

Disclaimer: This nonfiction is for informational purposes only. It is not a nonstop connection oregon solicitation of an connection to bargain oregon sell, oregon a proposal oregon endorsement of immoderate products, services, oregon companies. Bitcoin.com does not supply investment, tax, legal, oregon accounting advice. Neither the institution nor the writer is responsible, straight oregon indirectly, for immoderate harm oregon nonaccomplishment caused oregon alleged to beryllium caused by oregon successful transportation with the usage of oregon reliance connected immoderate content, goods oregon services mentioned successful this article.

View source