The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Massachusetts District has filed to seize nearly $328,000 in cryptocurrency linked to a romance scam. The victim, a Massachusetts resident, was defrauded after communicating with a person using the alias “Linda Brown” on a dating app and sending funds for a fake crypto investment. The civil forfeiture action, announced weeks after prosecutors warned about crypto-linked romance scams, aims to return the traced funds to the victim.
Federal prosecutors in Massachusetts are seeking the civil forfeiture of $327,829 in Tether (USDT) connected to a money laundering scheme. The case stems from a romance scam where a victim sent money after being promised a cryptocurrency investment opportunity.
The victim communicated with an individual using the name “Linda Brown” on an online dating application in late 2024. After several weeks, Brown offered a purported cryptocurrency investment, to which the victim sent funds.
The victim discovered the fraud when attempting to withdraw their money later. The stolen funds were transferred between multiple wallets and converted into USDT from other cryptocurrencies.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts stated that concealing criminal proceeds through financial transactions violates federal law. “A civil forfeiture action allows third-parties to assert claims to property,” the office added.
The government must prove the property is subject to forfeiture before it can be returned to victims. A portion of the funds was traced to crypto wallets seized in August 2025.
This filing follows a recent warning from U.S. prosecutors about romance scams tied to cryptocurrency. “Unlike traditional scams, which execute quickly, these schemes exploit both emotional and financial vulnerabilities,” an analyst stated previously.
Scammers build trust over weeks or months before introducing fake investment opportunities. Last year, the U.S. Department of Justice moved to seize a record $225 million tied to similar “pig butchering” crypto scams.
