The U.S. Department of Justice seized $61 million in Tether tied to pig butchering cryptocurrency investment scams and traced the funds to addresses used to launder proceeds stolen from victims. Authorities say organized syndicates operating from scam compounds in Southeast Asia coerce trafficked individuals to run romance and investment fraud on dating and social apps before quickly routing stolen funds through multiple wallets; Tether reports freezing about $4.2 billion in illicit assets to date. #Tether #PigButchering
Keypoints
- The DoJ seized $61 million in Tether connected to pig butchering investment scams.
- Confiscated funds were traced to cryptocurrency addresses used to launder stolen victim proceeds.
- Scammers recruit and coerce trafficked individuals in Southeast Asian scam compounds to run romance and investment fraud via dating and social apps.
- Fake trading platforms showed fabricated high returns and imposed extra withdrawal fees to extract more money from victims.
- Tether says it has frozen about $4.2 billion in assets linked to illicit activity, including nearly $250 million tied to scam networks since June 2025.
Read More: https://thehackernews.com/2026/02/doj-seizes-61-million-in-tether-linked.html