Federal prosecutors have filed five civil forfeiture complaints seeking more than $25 million in cryptocurrency that investigators say came from international scams and investment scams targeting people in the United States and Canada.
The complaints, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, stem from separate Secret Service investigations.
Agents traced the funds through hundreds of wallet addresses and frozen cryptocurrencies linked to more than 270 suspected investment scam transactions, more than 200 romance scam victims and multiple victims in the Washington area, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The two largest cases seek approximately $12.1 million linked to online romance schemes and $10.4 million linked to fraudulent investment platforms. Three other complaints seek approximately $1.23 million, $2.39 million and $285,000.
In one case, fraudsters cut off contact after a victim attempted to withdraw money from what appeared to be a crypto investment account. In another case, scammers contacted someone who had already lost money and claimed they could get it back for a fee in what is known as a recovery scam.
These cases are part of the Scam Center Strike Force, launched in November 2025. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the task force has recovered more than $800 million.
