$61M USDT Seized by US Authorities in Major Crypto Romance Scam Crackdown
The post $61M USDT Seized by US Authorities in Major Crypto Romance Scam Crackdown appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.
TLDR: US agents seized over $61M in Tether linked to a large-scale crypto pig butchering romance scam. Scammers built fake romantic relationships to direct victims toward fraudulent crypto trading platforms. HSI agents traced stolen USDT through multiple wallets before recovering funds still held in them. Tether cooperated with federal authorities, assisting in the transfer of the seized USDT assets. US agents seize $61M USDT in a major federal operation targeting cryptocurrency romance fraud. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina confirmed the recovery of over $61 million in Tether. Homeland Security Investigations traced the funds to wallets connected to a large-scale pig butchering scheme. The case began after a fraud victim filed a report through the HSI Tip Line in Raleigh, North Carolina. Romance Tactics Used to Lure Crypto Victims Scammers behind the operation first approached victims under the guise of romantic interest. They built trust over time before introducing the topic of cryptocurrency investment opportunities. Once victims felt secure in the relationship, the fraud began to take shape. The criminals then claimed to have special techniques for generating high returns through crypto trading. They directed victims to fake platforms that closely resembled legitimate cryptocurrency exchanges. Those platforms were designed to look credible in both name and appearance. Fabricated investment dashboards showed unusually high portfolio gains to keep victims engaged. The false returns were intended to convince victims to deposit more and more money. Nothing shown on those platforms reflected any real trading activity. When victims attempted to withdraw funds, they were blocked at every turn. Scammers cited reasons such as unpaid “taxes” or “fees” as conditions for releasing money. Those demands were simply further attempts to drain victims of additional funds. How HSI Tracked and Seized the USDT After receiving the tip, HSI agents and…
Filed under: News - @ February 25, 2026 3:28 pm