An indictment unsealed in the Central District of California charges two Chinese nationals, Daren Li and Yicheng Zhang, with leading a scheme to launder at least $73 million tied to an international crypto investment scam, often known as “pig butchering.” Li and Zhang allegedly managed a global network that laundered proceeds from fraudulent crypto investments,…
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Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) criticized North Korea’s crypto usage and the rise of crypto “pig butchering” scams at a Thursday hearing of the Senate of Armed Services, claiming that cryptocurrency as a whole poses “a threat to our national security.” Senator Elizabeth Warren Blasts Crypto, Calls Out North Korea Questioning Admiral John C. Aquilino of…
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The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has charged digital asset platform Debiex for engaging in a deceptive scheme known as “pig butchering,” which resulted in the loss of $2.3 million from investors. On Firday, the CFTC filed a complaint against Debiex and Zhāng Chéng Yáng in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona.…
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The DOJ continues its crackdown on cryptocurrency crimes by seizing USDT funds related to a “pig butchering” crypto romance scam. Image by blvdone, Adobe Stock. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced today that it seized $9 million worth of the stablecoin USDT related to a cryptocurrency scam known as “pig butchering”. The seized funds…
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Tether has announced the “largest-ever freeze of USDT in history.” In collaboration with crypto exchange Okx, Tether froze $225 million in USDT following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). The tokens were allegedly linked to an international human trafficking syndicate in Southeast Asia responsible for a global “pig butchering” crypto scam. $225M…
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The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued a warning about pig butchering cryptocurrency scams. IRS Criminal Investigation special agents stressed that these schemes are popping up across the globe, emphasizing: “U.S. taxpayers are currently the most targeted population for pig butchering schemes.” IRS’ Pig Butchering Crypto Scam Warning The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued a…
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U.S. authorities are seeking to recover cryptocurrencies linked to the popular pig-butchering crypto scam. “Law enforcement was able to trace cryptocurrency involved in the fraud and money laundering to two Binance accounts, where it was seized,” the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts has revealed. US Continues to Crack Down on Pig-Butchering…
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While the total figures are “alarming,” crypto scams accounted for 7.1% of the total $2.08 billion stolen from Australians in 2022. Australians lost 221.3 million Australian dollars ($148.3 million) from investment scams where cryptocurrency was used as the payment method in 2022 — a 162.4% increase from 2021. According to an April 17 scam activity…
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The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) says it has seized cryptocurrency worth over $112 million linked to fraudulent investment schemes known as “pig butchering.” According to court documents, the seized crypto accounts were allegedly “used to launder proceeds of various cryptocurrency confidence scams,” the Justice Department said. $112 Million in Crypto Seized by DOJ The…
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The FBI has issued a public service announcement (PSA) warning on the utilization of play-to-earn games as part of a scheme to defraud users of funds stored in the form of cryptocurrency. Criminals are introducing victims to this kind of game and then use malware to extract the funds from cryptocurrency wallets linked to the…
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