Feds Target Tether Wallet in $100K Tech-Support Scam Investigation

Federal prosecutors in Massachusetts are seeking to seize over $47,000 in cryptocurrency tied to a tech-support scam that targeted multiple victims across the country.

The U.S. Attorney's Office filed a civil forfeiture complaint on Thursday, seeking ownership of 47,461.73 USDT, a cryptocurrency known as Tether.

The investigation began after a Ware resident reported being tricked into depositing $15,950 into a Bitcoin ATM in Ludlow after scammers claimed to be Microsoft customer support representatives.

The victim told investigators that a pop-up message appeared on her computer, causing it to become unresponsive and directing her to call a customer support number. The scammers then instructed the victim to withdraw money from her bank account and move it to a purported government account for safekeeping.