A special agent from the FBI's Alabama office told FOX News that in 2023, about 300 state residents who were victims of fraudulent transactions with crypto assets lost an average of $170,000 each.
Matt Tootle stated: the greatest danger to state residents in 2023 was posed by schemes to steal funds and digital assets using so-called social engineering methods.
“We see cases where scammers spend months developing seemingly decent relationships with their future victims. For example, they create fake Internet resources, showing the victim the balance of her assets, as well as the profitability of investing in cryptocurrencies. In some cases, in order to induce victim investors to continue financing or make a large money transfer, scammers allow the victim to verify the “effectiveness of the crypto project” and withdraw part of the funds,” explained the special agent.
The large number of victims, the volume and speed with which the scheme is implemented make this type of crypto fraud unique. According to Matt Tootle, any crypto investor should immediately be wary if he is promised a huge return on investment in a short period of time. And when a crime has been committed, do not hesitate to report to law enforcement agencies, since delay can significantly complicate the return of funds:
“Victims often don’t realize they’ve lost all their money until weeks or months later.. You need to keep a close eye on your accounts. The sooner you report a crime, the better.. The FBI believes that proactivity is your best defense.».
Earlier, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said that his company intends to establish close cooperation with the US Secret Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to prevent crimes in the field of digital finance.