DOJ Seizure Further Highlights the Importance of Combating Cryptocurrency Investment Scams

The U.S. Department of Justice has recently announced the seizure of over $112 million in virtual currency linked to cryptocurrency investment scams, most of which fell under the category known as "pig butchering."

The seizure, which was authorized by judges in Los Angeles, Arizona, and Idaho, targeted six virtual currency accounts. The funds in these accounts were allegedly used in long-term fraudulent schemes, wherein scammers cultivated relationships with their victims and enticed them to make investments in fake cryptocurrency ventures.

The term "pig butchering" refers to the scammers' method of "fattening up" victims by gaining their trust over time. Once the trust is established, the scammer introduces the victim to a cryptocurrency investment scheme, where victims are enticed to invest in fraudulent cryptocurrency trading platforms.

The funds sent by victims are then funneled to cryptocurrency addresses and accounts controlled by the scammers and their co-conspirators. Typically the funds are then run through known cryptocurrency mixers or tumblers. These are services that help users mix their cryptocurrencies with other users' funds to obfuscate the origin of the coins. While these services can be used for legitimate privacy purposes, they are also frequently exploited by criminals to launder proceeds from illicit activities, including cryptocurrency scams.

In one such instance reported on by the DOJ, a professional woman was contacted on LinkedIn by a scammer who offered to invest her money in another fund. The victim eventually lost over $2 million as a result of the scam.

The FBI identified at least 10 victims from a seizure of a Los Angeles-based account who were unable to withdraw the funds they had invested. The seized account contained money from all 10 victims. Investment fraud caused the highest losses out of any kind of scam in 2021, with more than $3 billion stolen. Most victims are between the ages of 30 and 49.

In 2022, investment fraud was the highest source of losses from scams reported by the public to the FBI’s Internet Crimes Complaint Center (IC3), totaling $3.31 billion. Cryptocurrency-related frauds, including pig butchering, represented the majority of these scams, with a staggering 183% increase from 2021 to $2.57 billion in reported losses last year.

The DOJ's efforts to combat these schemes emphasize the need for industry-leading crypto compliance solutions like Clain. Clain assists compliance teams at financial institutions, crypto businesses, and law enforcement agencies in conducting research on digital assets, detecting suspicious activity, automating investigations, managing investigations, and submitting regulatory filings. Its end-to-end compliance platform minimizes false positives and reduces operational costs, while enhancing compliance operations. Clain is also a pioneer in developing auto-demixing capabilities for mixing services like Wasabi, Tornado, and Samurai Wallet.

Clain's cutting-edge solutions can help prevent the proliferation of such scams by identifying suspicious activities and transactions related to fraudulent schemes. By partnering with Clain, financial institutions, crypto businesses, and law enforcement agencies can ensure the integrity of their transactions and the safety of their customers.

The recent DOJ announcement serves as a stark reminder of the critical role played by companies like Clain in safeguarding the financial ecosystem from criminals who seek to exploit innocent victims. As the cryptocurrency market continues and scammers continue to target victims with increasingly sophisticated tactics, the role of compliance solutions in detecting and preventing fraudulent activities becomes even more crucial. By working together with law enforcement agencies and businesses, Clain aims to mitigate the risks associated with cryptocurrency investments and protect innocent victims from falling prey to such scams.