According to the lawsuit, the scammers contacted a 63-year-old victim via email, stating that her device was infected with pornography. Looking like an extortion scheme, the victim was induced to send money to the scammers using gift cards and cryptocurrencies. In July of this year, the American government confiscated around R$90,000 in cryptocurrencies, claiming that the amount was linked to a crime. What was supposed to be just another common case among many others ended up having an unusual outcome.

In a process document published last Wednesday (8), the scammer asks the FBI to return “his” cryptocurrencies. In his defense, the man claims to have never committed any crime, and that the amount is the result of his work in the insurance sector.

American authorities did not take the bait. In response, they noted that the scammer's claim is false and the amount should not be returned to him.

Scammers make elderly woman their victim, stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars According to the lawsuit, the scammers had contacted a 63-year-old victim via email, stating that her device was infected with pornography. Looking like an extortion scheme, the victim was induced to send money to the scammers using gift cards and cryptocurrencies.

Among the amounts would be around US$12,000) in Walmart gift cards and more than 3 bitcoins (R$530,000). With the support of broker Paxful, the FBI was able to track these transactions and find other details about the scammers.