US seeks forfeiture of $25M in crypto tied to romance, investment scams US prosecutors are seeking more than $25 million in cryptocurrency allegedly connected to international fraud and laundering networks.

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed five civil forfeiture complaints seeking to seize more than $25 million in cryptocurrency linked to international fraud schemes involving romance, investment, and recovery scams. These scams targeted victims primarily in the United States and Canada, deceiving thousands globally into believing they were making legitimate digital asset investments. The seized assets were recovered through investigations by the Cyber Fraud Task Force, a collaborative effort involving the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the US Secret Service’s Washington Field Office.

Among the confiscation efforts, the largest complaint involves roughly $12.1 million connected to romance scams that victimized over 200 individuals. The stolen funds were funneled through intermediary addresses and commingled with other victims’ money to obscure the trail. Another complaint pertains to about $10.4 million linked to more than 270 suspected transactions, while three smaller cases involve fake investment accounts and a secondary scam promising recovery of prior stolen funds. The DOJ noted that most of the laundering operations were based in Southeast Asia, with IP addresses traced to China, Malaysia, and Cambodia.

This enforcement action follows a wider international crackdown on crypto-enabled scams. Interpol’s Operation First Light 2026, aiming at social engineering scams and laundering networks across 97 countries, resulted in 5,811 arrests and the seizure of $283 million in illicit assets. That operation uncovered networks that converted romance scam proceeds into cryptocurrency and used cross-chain token swaps to hide illicit activity; one wallet linked to a suspected launderer processed over $122.5 million in crypto within ten months. US authorities have also previously seized millions of USDT stablecoins in connection with similar fraudulent investment schemes.

The DOJ described the scammers’ modus operandi as gaining victims’ trust through romantic relationships then redirecting them to fictitious trading platforms before transferring stolen funds across multiple wallets to complicate detection. This case underscores the proliferation of crypto-related romance and investment fraud, highlighting ongoing law enforcement efforts to interrupt these international financial crimes.