How Nigeria-Based Scammer Impersonated Trump-Vance Committee, Stole $250k Crypto
THECONSCIENCE NG reports that A Nigeria-based scammer has stolen $250,300 worth of cryptocurrency after impersonating the Donald Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee.
The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Columbia, disclosed the large-scale fraud on Wednesday in a report on its official website, after US Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro announced that her office filed a complaint against 40,353 USDT.ETH cryptocurrency stolen in the commission of a Business Email Compromise Scheme.
“According to the complaint, one or more perpetrators impersonated the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee, fraudulently stole $250,300 worth of crypocurrency from an intended donor, and then laundered the funds through other wallets,” the report read.
“According to the complaint, on December 24, 2024, the victims received an email from someone purporting to be Steve Witkoff, Co-Chair of the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee.
“Legitimate emails from the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee are @t47inaugural.com; the email received by victim was from @t47lnaugural.com with the lowercase “I” was replaced by a lowercase “L.” Depending on the font, the lowercase “L” can look like the uppercase “I.”
The report added that the imposter, Steve Witkoff, a scammer located in Nigeria, instructed the victims to deposit funds into a cryptocurrency wallet ending in 58c52.
It said two days after, on December 26, 2024, the victim sent 250,300 USDT.ETH to the crypto wallet believing the funds were going to the Inaugural Committee, but within two hours after receiving the funds from the victim, the money moved from the 58c52 cryptowallet to other cryptocurrency addresses.
According to the US Attorney’s Office, through blockchain analysis, the FBI identified and recovered 40,300 USDT.ETH, which is the property subject to forfeiture in this civil action.
It added that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was able to trace and recover $40,300 from this transaction, while the complaint sought recovery of these funds to compensate the victim.
“Impersonation scams take many forms and cost Americans billions in losses each year,” said Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen, of the FBI Washington Field Office, which is investigating the case.
“To avoid becoming a victim, carefully review email addresses, website URLs, and spelling in any messages you receive. Scammers often use subtle differences to deceive you and gain your trust.
“Never send money, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or other assets to people you do not know personally or have only interacted with online or over the phone. Report suspected scams to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.”
