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Sujha Sundararajan
Author
Sujha Sundararajan
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Tech-savvy scammers have stolen $2.2 million worth of cryptos from New Yorkers in a new job scam. The perpetrators sent text messages claiming to help find remote jobs, asking job-seekers to deposit dollars into crypto accounts.
According to New York Attorney General Letitia James, unsuspecting victims were targeted to purchase and deposit stablecoins into scammers’ wallets.
The Office of the Attorney General, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Queens County District Attorney’s Office investigated the case.
AG James filed a lawsuit on Thursday to recover the lost cryptos held in digital wallets. She is seeking to retrieve frozen cryptos for defrauded victims and wants the scammers to pay penalties and restitution.
“Deceiving New Yorkers looking to take on remote work and earn money to support their families is cruel and unacceptable,” AG James wrote.
“The cryptocurrency that has been frozen, thanks to my office, will be available to help residents defrauded by this scam. I urge all New Yorkers to be cautious of text messages from unknown senders claiming to offer jobs or other opportunities, and to report any scams to my office.”
Scammers Asked Victims to Purchase USDT, USDC
Initially, the scammers told victims to buy Tether (USDT) and USD Coin (USDC) stablecoins. They were asked to buy using transparent purchases on registered, licensed platforms, including Coinbase, Gemini, and Crypto.com.
However, the victims were then tricked into sending their crypto to un-hosted digital wallets.
Further, investigations found that this scam operated across multiple jurisdictions. Scammers apparently targeted people desperately looking for remote jobs.
The perpetrators allegedly promised victims compensation plus commission if they opened a cryptocurrency account, deposited cryptos and wrote reviews of legit-looking fake products on websites. Besides, the message to victims read that these reviews would help generate “market data” that would lead to sales.
The victims were assured that they were not purchasing the products but helping to “legitimize” their generated data.
“In this case, the perpetrators used advanced technology to lure victims into depositing cryptocurrency and stole millions of dollars in the form of stablecoins,” said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
