Federal prosecutors have seized $15 billion from the alleged kingpin of an operation that used imprisoned laborers to trick unsuspecting people into making investments in phony funds, often after spending months faking romantic relationships with the victims. Such " pig butchering" scams have operated for years. They typically work when members of the operation initiate conversations with people on social media and then spend months messaging them. Often, the scammers pose as attractive individuals who feign romantic interest for the victim.
The U.S. government is moving to seize 127,271 BTC, valued at roughly $14 billion, tied to a sprawling online investment scam run by Chinese émigré Chen Zhi, 38, and his Cambodia-based Prince Group Transnational Criminal Organization. The action, announced Monday by the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), comes as part of a sweeping crackdown on transnational cybercriminal networks and scams targeting U.S. and allied citizens.