2023-08-26 01:29:40
© Reuters. US government falls into coup and sends BRL 270 thousand in cryptocurrency to scammers
CriptoFácil – A scam hit the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), resulting in the mistaken transfer of more than US$ 55,000 (R$ 270 thousand) in stablecoins to scammers. After a belated appeal to the USDT issuer, , to freeze the funds, the money had already been embezzled.
The DEA, known for dismantling the dark web marketplace Silk Road, made a mistake when transferring cryptocurrencies and not checking the sending address, which resulted in money being transferred to scammers. The agency had seized more than $500,000 worth of stablecoin USDT in May this year, suspecting its use in illegal activities.
The funds were stored in a DEA-controlled Trezor wallet. But a scammer observed his actions on the blockchain and mimicked a test transaction to fool investigators.
Using an address similar to that of the US Marshals Service, the scammer tricked the US agency into sending the funds to the wrong address belonging to the scammer.
USA falls in coup
The US agency scam employed a technique called airdropping, sending a small amount of USDT to the DEA so that the amount would match the test transaction. The scammer hoped that the agency would copy the fake address, resulting in the mistaken transfer of funds.
After realizing the error, the US agency sought to freeze the funds with the help of Tether, but the money had already been converted into () and (BTC) and transferred to a new wallet.
Collaborating with the FBI, the DEA tracked the stolen funds, although the identity of the scammer has not been confirmed. The suspicious movement of funds last month related to Silk Road raises concerns about the growing risk of fraud in the cryptocurrency space.
The DEA has yet to publicly comment on the case, which marks the first time a US investigative organization has been duped by cryptocurrency scammers.
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