The Federal Bureau of Investigation seized 151 BTC from scammers who posed as government agencies and tricked elderly people into transferring money to them.
Court records show that in October 2020, the group began a program of persecution of elderly people, including from the United States. Criminals used various apps to create the impression that they were calling from authorized organizations. Having gained the trust of their victims, they persuaded them to transfer the money under their management with the promise that it would be returned with interest.
After gaining access to these funds, they exchanged them for bitcoins and other digital forms of currency and then transferred them to their own bank accounts.
Police traced the stolen funds and identified the exact digital wallet used by these criminals. The U.S. Attorney's office confiscated 151 bitcoins along with other digital assets. This was done as part of a civil confiscation so that the illegally obtained money could be returned to its owners at the time of further investigation.
Law enforcement agencies continue to search for those responsible for this scheme, who are still on the run. FBI officials suggested that people who receive such calls from federal employees call their local office or government department directly and ask to be connected with someone who may have called them to verify the legality of the call. Persons who have been deceived must file a report of the incident with their local police department and with the FBI's Internet Crime Unit.
