US Moves to Forfeit $3.44M in USDt Linked to Fake Ether Investment Scheme

US federal prosecutors have filed a civil forfeiture action to recover roughly 3.44 million USDt tied to an alleged online crypto investment scam that targeted victims across several states.

According to a Tuesday announcement from the US Attorney’s Office in Boston, the funds were linked to a scheme that persuaded victims to send cryptocurrency to wallets controlled by scammers. Authorities said they seized the USDt (USDT) in February and March 2025, and are now asking a court to authorize the permanent forfeiture of the assets.

“In such fraud schemes, scammers obtain funds from victims using manipulative tactics,” prosecutors said, adding that they establish a level of trust with a victim and then entice the victim into investing in a fraudulent investment scheme.

The investigation began in late 2024 after at least four individuals reported losses, including two residents of Massachusetts and others in Utah and South Carolina.

Related: Tether helps Turkey seize $544M in crypto tied to illegal betting network

Fake ETH investment scheme

In this case, the scammers first contacted victims through messages that appeared to be sent by mistake, often through text messages or encrypted apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram.

After building trust, the individuals allegedly pushed what they described as an exclusive Ethereum investment opportunity supposedly backed by physical gold. Victims were instructed to purchase Ether (ETH) and transfer it to wallets provided by the perpetrators.

According to the release, court documents state that once the ETH reached those wallets, the funds were routed through intermediary addresses, converted into USDt, and moved to unhosted wallets controlled by the scammers.

Related: Iran‘s central bank acquired $507M in USDT to prop up rial: Elliptic

US seizes more crypto tied to crypto scams

US authorities have recently seized more crypto tied to fraud schemes. In one case, the US Attorney’s Office for Massachusetts filed a civil forfeiture action seeking to recover about $327,829 in USDt, which investigators say was connected to a romance scam targeting a Massachusetts resident in 2024.

In another case, federal authorities in North Carolina seized more than $61 million in USDt tied to a large “pig-butchering” scheme that used fake investment platforms to defraud victims.

Last month, stablecoin issuer Tether said it had frozen about $4.2 billion in USDt linked to suspected illicit activity over the past three years, reflecting increased cooperation with law enforcement.

Magazine: Clarity Act risks repeat of Europe’s mistakes, crypto lawyer warns