- A Nigerian scammer stole $250,000 in crypto posing as a Trump official.
- FBI and Tether used blockchain research to retrieve $40,300.
- The deceptive email used @t47lnaugural.com, mimicking a legitimate domain.
A Nigerian national is accused of stealing 250,000 dollars in cryptocurrency after impersonating Steve Witkoff, co-chair of the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee. On December 24, 2024, the scammer committed fraud by sending an email to one of the victims, demanding money intended for committee use. The sender used a phony email address, @t47lnaugural.com, replacing the lowercase “i” in the genuine @t47inaugural.com with a lowercase “l.” This minor spelling mistake deceived the victim, and he/she deposited 250,300 USDT.ETH into a crypto account owned by the scammer.
The victim thought that the money was used to finance the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee. In less than two hours, the scammer transferred the cryptocurrency to other wallets trying to wash the funds. Using blockchain analysis, the FBI tracked down and identified 40,353 USDT.ETH, which the U.S. has now targeted in civil forfeiture proceedings. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. Authorities recovered just a fraction of the stolen $250,300.
FBI Warns of Rising Impersonation Scams
The impersonation scam costs Americans billions of dollars a year, and cryptocurrency scams are an emerging problem. Steven J. Assistant Director Jensen, who leads the FBI Washington Field Office, emphasized the need to stay vigilant. He said that scammers use slight variations to trick their victims, and people should check the email addresses and should never send any assets to people they do not know. Such fraud can be reported on the Internet Crime Complaint Center provided by the FBI (www.ic3.gov) (www.ic3.gov).
The work of the Justice Department indicates the difficulties of fighting crypto fraud. Through blockchain investigations, the monies totaling forty-three thousand dollars were retrieved with the assistance of Tether. Authorities anticipate returning the cash to the criminal victim. This case highlights the sophistication of business email compromise scams, as criminals exploit trust to steal money. The civil forfeiture complaint filed by the DOJ aims to punish culprits and recover losses incurred by the victims.
The scam demonstrates the precision of current fraud strategies by using an email domain that closely mimics the real one. Victims do not realize the deception until it is too late to recover the funds. The FBI recommends that one should always look at the URL of the websites and email addresses because fraudsters take advantage of small differences to look more valid. It is an add-on to an extended trend of cryptocurrency-related frauds, as the DOJ has reported millions of stolen crypto seized in 2025 alone.
To guard against this form of fraud, the FBI suggests caution in accepting unsolicited investment offers, particularly that of cryptocurrency. With the rising popularity of digital currencies, fraudsters are targeting unsuspecting donors and investors and raising awareness among the population is of paramount importance.
