Nigerian Scammer Fraudulently Steals 250,000 USDT Using Forged Email, FBI and Tether Recover Funds

On July 3, a sophisticated fraud incident unfolded involving a Nigerian scammer who impersonated Steve Witkoff, co-chair of the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee, to illicitly acquire 250,000 USDT from a donor via a counterfeit email address. The US Department of Justice highlighted that the fraudulent email closely mimicked the legitimate one, differing only by minor character alterations. Leveraging blockchain analytics, the FBI successfully traced and recovered approximately $40,000 of the stolen funds. Additionally, Tether played a pivotal role by freezing the compromised assets, showcasing the growing collaboration between law enforcement and crypto firms to combat digital financial crimes.