U.S. seeks forfeiture of $25 million in crypto tied to romance and investment scams

Federal prosecutors in the United States have filed five civil forfeiture complaints seeking to recover more than $25 million in cryptocurrency linked to international romance and investment scams. These complaints, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, originate from separate investigations conducted by the U.S. Secret Service. Authorities traced the illicit funds through hundreds of cryptocurrency wallet addresses connected to over 270 suspected investment scam transactions and more than 200 romance scam victims across the U.S. and Canada. Several victims in the Washington area were also targeted.

The two largest cases involve approximately $12.1 million connected to online romance scams and $10.4 million related to fraudulent investment platforms. The other three cases seek to recover about $1.23 million, $2.39 million, and $285,000 respectively. One highlighted case involves scammers severing contact after a victim attempted to withdraw money from a crypto investment account. Another case exposes a "recovery scam" where fraudsters targeted a person who had already lost money, falsely promising to recover it for a fee.

These cases are part of the Scam Center Strike Force, a federal task force launched in November 2025 to combat cryptocurrency-related fraud. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, this task force has successfully recovered more than $800 million in total to date. This significant recovery effort underscores ongoing federal initiatives aimed at disrupting fraudulent crypto schemes and recovering assets for victims.

The source text also notes that parts of the article were generated with AI assistance but reviewed for accuracy, ensuring reliable reporting of these law enforcement actions.