Summary:
$2.2 million in cryptocurrency frozen by New York AG Letitia James due to a scam.
Scammers lured victims with fake remote job offers.
Text messages were used to trick New Yorkers into depositing funds.
Victims were misled into thinking their deposits would legitimize data for product reviews.
The lawsuit aims to recover funds and impose penalties on scammers.
Major Action Against Cryptocurrency Scammers
NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL LETITIA JAMES has taken significant steps to combat cryptocurrency fraud by freezing $2.2 million in stolen assets. This move comes in response to a lawsuit filed against a group of scammers who lured victims with fake remote job opportunities.
Attorney General Letitia James. Photo: Mary Altaffer/AP
The Scam Unveiled
On January 9, James revealed that these scammers had sent deceptive text messages promising to help find remote jobs, ultimately tricking New Yorkers into depositing large sums of cryptocurrency. Victims were led to believe that by opening cryptocurrency accounts and depositing funds, they would earn financial compensation by reviewing products on fraudulent websites mimicking real brands.
Key tactics of the scammers included:
- Requiring victims to maintain cryptocurrency account balances equal to or greater than the products they were purportedly reviewing.
- Assuring victims that their deposits were not purchases but rather a way to “legitimize” the data they generated.
- Falsely promising reimbursement of their original payments with commissions.
Legal Actions and Victim Recovery
The lawsuit aims not only to recover the frozen funds for the defrauded victims but also to impose penalties and restitution on the scammers. James, in collaboration with the U.S. Secret Service and the Queens County District Attorney’s Office, is determined to halt these fraudulent activities and protect potential victims from future scams.
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