- Six men face charges in an alleged crypto scam linked to about 800 U.S. victims.
- Suspects allegedly used dating profiles and fake NFT sites to drain user wallets.
- Authorities alleged the group opened scam compounds in Madagascar in early 2025.
Six men face federal charges over an alleged cryptocurrency romance scam that led Americans from dating websites to fraudulent NFT investment platforms. The U.S. Department of Justice announced the charges, while FBI investigators identified about 74 crypto wallets associated with approximately 800 victims across the United States.
Authorities said the Africa-based defendants had connections to Southeast Asia and China. The six included one Kenyan and one Ugandan, along with men from Cameroon and Rwanda.
Dating Profiles and Staged Recordings
Investigators alleged that the suspects posed as women and approached Americans through dating websites. They used photographs of women and gave real models detailed instructions to record short videos and voice notes while presenting fabricated female identities. The suspects used the recordings to draw victims into the alleged investment scam.
Investigators also described how the suspects stored personal information about their targets in contact cards on their mobile phones. Authorities said the entries helped the suspects keep track of the Americans they targeted. One entry identified a man named Bob as a 50-year-old software engineer in Phoenix and described him as divorced.
Authorities alleged that the suspects directed victims to fraudulent NFT investment websites and persuaded them to connect and continue funding their cryptocurrency wallets. The suspects then allegedly withdrew funds without the victims’ knowledge
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Crypto Scam Investigation Reaches Madagascar
The State Department said a Strike Force announced the charges against the six men. Arrest documents disclosed on Tuesday linked the operation to a criminal group with connections to Malaysia and China. That group allegedly opened scam compounds in Madagascar in early 2025.
Authorities said the operations likely relocated from Cambodia after law enforcement action there. The FBI’s investigation took agents to Madagascar as they examined financial losses reported by Americans who had interacted with fraudulent investment platforms.
According to U.S. authorities, stolen funds were moved to crypto accounts linked to actors based in China. The Trump administration seized websites connected to the alleged scheme, and investigators continue examining the case.
In addition, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said the cases caused emotional harm alongside financial losses. She described victims feeling that they had lost everything and becoming ashamed of their experiences.
Pirro said some victims did not want to report what happened. She also described a loss of security, with victims feeling that they no longer had control over their own lives.
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Related: FBI Shuts Down 241 Crypto Scam Websites in $Tens of Millions Fraud Crackdown
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