US Department of Justice Files Lawsuit to Recover $47,000 in Cryptocurrency in ATM Fraud Case
The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a civil forfeiture complaint seeking $47,461.73111 in USDT (Tether). Prosecutors allege the cryptocurrency was obtained through a fraud scheme where scammers tricked victims, including a Massachusetts woman, into withdrawing cash from their bank accounts and depositing it into crypto ATMs. In this case, the victim followed instructions after seeing a fake tech support pop-up, depositing funds into a Bitcoin Depot ATM. Authorities later traced a portion of the funds to a specific wallet, seized the assets, and linked the address to other victims.
This action is part of a broader crackdown on crypto ATM fraud. In response to such scams, which the FBI reports cost Americans over $333 million in 2025, a bipartisan "Stop Crypto ATM Scams Act" has been introduced in Congress. The proposed bill would impose daily and initial deposit limits, mandate fraud warnings, and strengthen anti-money laundering requirements for operators. Regulatory bodies like FinCEN have also increased scrutiny of crypto kiosks.
The Massachusetts case follows other recent forfeiture actions, including one targeting approximately $3.4 million in crypto linked to an investment scam and another for about $327,829 connected to a romance fraud scheme. Civil forfeiture allows the government to seize assets and, if successful, potentially return them to identified victims.
cryptonews.ru08/01 19:09