ALBANY, New York (WRGB) โ The US Secret Service has seized a web domain used in a recent cryptocurrency trust crime known as "pig butchering."
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; William Mancino, Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Investigation Division, United States Secret Service; and James Bensley, resident agent in charge of the Albany resident office of the U.S. Secret Service, made the announcement.
In pig slaughter schemes, scammers find victims through a variety of ways, including on dating apps and social media websites, and even random text messages posing as an incorrect number. Scammers begin relationships with victims and gradually gain their trust, eventually introducing the idea of โโinvesting in cryptocurrencies. Victims are then directed to other members of the scheme who run fraudulent cryptocurrency investment platforms, where they are convinced to invest money. Once the money is sent to the fake investment app, the scammer disappears and takes all the money, often resulting in significant losses for the victim.
FURTHER: New York prosecutor uncovers multimillion-dollar cryptocurrency scheme for 'pig butchery'
According to court records, between approximately August 2022 and July 2023, scammers induced a Warren County victim to transfer money to the now-seized OKEX-NFT.net domain. The scammers convinced the victim that she was investing in a legitimate cryptocurrency opportunity. After the victim transferred investments to the deposit addresses the scammers provided in connection with the seized domain name, the victim's funds were immediately transferred through numerous bank accounts in an effort to conceal the origin of the funds. In total, the victim lost more than $341,000.
Related court information and documents are in the online docket of the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York (available through www.pacer.gov), searching for Case No. 24-MJ-00038 (DJS).
If you believe you are a victim of this type of scheme, we encourage you to contact CryptoFraud@SecretService.gov either IC3.gov to submit a report. Provide detailed information in your report, including alleged investment websites visited, phone numbers, email accounts, and social media profiles used by scammers, and any cryptocurrency addresses, transaction hashes, and transaction dates. Your responses are voluntary. Based on the information provided, you may be contacted by the Secret Service or another law enforcement agency and asked to provide additional information.
