The Brooklyn District Attorney's Virtual Currency Unit has reportedly adopted a new technique to curb scams targeting the Russian community, with the seizure of email lists from fraudsters. According to an announcement made by Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, as seen on the office's website, investigators concluded a long-term probe by taking down 70 sham domains and potentially saving the public from contributing to the estimated $6 million already lost.
The DA's office, by seizing control of a mail server utilized by the scammers, interrupted the operation and sent advisory emails to over 1,200 potential victims who were in danger of being duped, warning them of the false nature of their investments, the DA’s team has been able to address victims directly, mitigating further financial damage and it has hosted a seminar to help community members recognize and avoid such deceptive schemes. According to the DA's office website, “We are using every tool at our disposal to stop crypto investment scams. Since recovering lost funds is often impossible because they’re typically quickly cashed overseas, we focus on disruption and education. In this successful investigation, we used a new technique of seizing the email servers and warning victims that the investments they made were fake, preventing untold losses. We also hosted a seminar in the Russian community this week to educate the public. I am committed to continue to protect Brooklyn residents from these pervasive digital crimes.”
Educational efforts also escalated this week with an enlightening seminar in Brighton Beach conducted in concert with federal agencies, including the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Security and Exchange Commission, and the FBI. The session aimed to empower over 100 participants with the knowledge to sidestep investment traps, as detailed by the District Attorney's Office's website.
Assistant District Attorney Alona Katz, helming the Virtual Currency Unit, was pivotal in directing the operation with support from an astute team including Virtual Currency Analyst Sam Weaver and Assistant District Attorney Brian Umana.
