US Justice Department Traces $40,300 in Crypto to Nigerian Cyber Scam Impersonating Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee

Naija Blog – The United States Department of Justice has filed a civil forfeiture complaint to recover $40,300 in cryptocurrency linked to a sophisticated email fraud scheme originating from Nigeria. The scam, which impersonated the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee, targeted unsuspecting political donors, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro for the District of Columbia announced on Wednesday, July 2, 2025.

According to the US Government, the cybercriminals behind the elaborate fraud successfully stole a total of $250,300 in USDT.ETH cryptocurrency from an intended donor. The perpetrators posed as Steve Witkoff, a co-chair of the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee, using a deceptive email address that subtly mimicked the committee's official domain.

The complaint details how the scammers, believed to be operating from Nigeria, used the email address "@t47lnaugural.com" instead of the legitimate "@t47inaugural.com". This subtle alteration, replacing a lowercase "i" with a lowercase "L" – a trick easily overlooked due to font similarities – was used to deceive victims.

"The imposter Steve Witkoff, a scammer located in Nigeria, instructed the victims to deposit funds into a cryptocurrency wallet ending in 58c52," the complaint read. "On Dec. 26, 2024, the victim sent 250,300 USDT.ETH to the crypto wallet believing the funds were going to the Inaugural Committee."

Investigations revealed that within two hours of receiving the funds from the victim, the cryptocurrency was swiftly moved from the initial wallet to various other addresses, a common tactic for laundering stolen assets.

However, through extensive blockchain analysis, US federal agents successfully traced and froze $40,300 of the stolen funds. This recovered amount is now subject to forfeiture in the civil action filed by the Justice Department.

Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen of the FBI Washington Field Office, which is investigating the case, highlighted the pervasive nature of impersonation scams. "Impersonation scams take many forms and cost Americans billions in losses each year," Jensen stated. He advised the public to exercise extreme caution, urging individuals to meticulously review email addresses, website URLs, and spelling in any suspicious messages. He also cautioned against sending money, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or other assets to individuals not personally known or only interacted with online or over the phone. Suspected scams should be reported to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.

This incident underscores the global reach of cybercrime and the continuous efforts by law enforcement agencies to combat sophisticated financial fraud.