President Donald Trump speaks before Steve Witkoff is sworn as special envoy during a ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
WASHINGTON (7News) — Someone impersonating the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee stole $250,300 in a cryptocurrency scheme, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro announced on Wednesday.
The United States Attorney for the District of Columbia’s complaint classified the scam as a Business Email Compromise Scheme.
So far, FBI officials have traced and recovered $40,300 from the transaction through blockchain analysis, which will be returned to the victim.
“All donors should double and triple check that they are sending cryptocurrency to their intended recipient. It can be extremely difficult for law enforcement to recoup lost funds due to the extremely complex nature of the blockchain,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “Nevertheless, my office and our law enforcement partners stand ready to go toe-to-toe with criminals and make victims whole.”
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On December 24, 2024, the victim received an email from a scammer pretending to be Steve Witkoff, Co-Chair of the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee, according to the complaint.
The Nigeria-based scammers used the email @t47lnaugural.com. This address uses a lowercase “L” instead of the lowercase “i” used in the campaign’s real email address, @t47inaugural.com.
On December 26, 2024, the victim sent 250,300 USDT.ETH to the wallet of the person impersonating Witkoff, according to the compliant. The victim thought that his donation would go toward the Inaugural Committee
Two hours later, the funds were moved to other cryptocurrency addresses.
FBI Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen of the Washington Field Office, which is investigating the case, said, “Impersonation scams take many forms and cost Americans billions in losses each year. To avoid becoming a victim, carefully review email addresses, website URLs, and spelling in any messages you receive. Scammers often use subtle differences to deceive you and gain your trust. Never send money, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or other assets to people you do not know personally or have only interacted with online or over the phone.”
If you believe that you’ve fallen victim to a cybercrime, including business email compromise, cryptocurrency scams, romance scams, investment scams, and “pig butchering” fraud scams, you should contact the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.
