ChainCatcher message, the prosecutor's office in Washington, USA, announced the successful recovery of cryptocurrency assets in a business email fraud case. The case involves multiple real estate transaction frauds, where scammers illegally obtained over 1 million dollars by hacking systems to alter wire transfer instructions. Investigations revealed that at least ten companies or individuals were victims, with amounts ranging from 75,000 to 425,000 dollars. The proceeds from the fraud were laundered through multiple bank accounts and ultimately consolidated into a cryptocurrency wallet controlled by a Nigerian scam group.
Law enforcement agencies seized approximately 32.68 bitcoins (worth about 900,000 dollars at the time) from the wallet. As the price of bitcoin has risen, the value of this asset has now exceeded three times what it was at the time. Among the ten victims, multiple parties have already filed claims and are expected to receive full compensation.
U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman stated: 'This case demonstrates the effectiveness of asset forfeiture as a legal tool to recover losses for victims before the criminals have been arrested.'
