The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has recovered $40,300 in cryptocurrency linked to a scam that impersonated officials from the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee. According to a complaint from U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, scammers lured a donor into sending $250,300 in USD Tether (USDT) by impersonating committee co-chair Steve Witkoff through a fraudulent email address. The victim, believing the email to be legitimate, transferred the funds, which were subsequently laundered through multiple wallets. The FBI, using blockchain analysis, managed to trace these funds and is seeking to return them to the victim. This incident highlights the prevalence of impersonation scams, which cost Americans billions annually. Assistant Director Steven Jensen of the FBI urged the public to be vigilant with email communications and to verify the identity of senders before transferring any funds. The DOJ also acknowledged Tether for its assistance in freezing the stolen assets, which is part of broader efforts to combat cryptocurrency scams.

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