U.S. authorities to return stolen bitcoins worth $450,000 to an American citizen

American law enforcement authorities recovered bitcoins worth about $450,000 that telephone scammers stole from an elderly U.S. citizen. This is stated in the заявлении by U.S. Attorney Dena King for the Western District of North Carolina.

In August 2021, the perpetrators, presumably from abroad, called a resident of Asheville and pretended to be employees of the “Office of the Chief Inspector.” Threatening to confiscate his savings on the grounds that they could be tied to money laundering and drug trafficking, the scammers demanded that the victim transfer the funds to a “secure government account.”

Following the instructions, the elderly man purchased on Coinbase more than 12 bitcoins worth over $574,000 at the time (now around $450,000), and then sent the coins to the perpetrators.

The exchange’s administration, in coordination with the FBI, identified the transaction as financial fraud. As part of the investigation, the funds were seized and forfeited. The prosecutor’s office assured they would be returned to the rightful owner.

Earlier, a resident of Massachusetts sentenced to eight years in prison for trafficking in drugs for bitcoins, and cryptocurrency worth about $2.3 million was seized.

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