U.S. Seizes $25M+ in Crypto From Investment Fraud and Romance Scams

According to Decrypt, the U.S. Department of Justice's District of Columbia office and the Secret Service recently filed five civil forfeiture lawsuits seizing over $25 million in cryptocurrency linked to investment fraud and romance scams targeting victims across the United States and Canada. The largest case involved approximately $12.1 million from over 200 victims, while a separate Canadian investigation marked roughly $10.4 million in suspected transactions across more than 270 transfers.

The action is part of the Fraud Strike Force, established in November 2025, which has recovered a cumulative total exceeding $800 million. The investigation identified money launderers primarily operating from Southeast Asia, with IP addresses traced to China, Malaysia, and Cambodia.