US Seizes $61M in USDT Tied to Pig Butchering Crypto Scam

US Federal agents in North Carolina seized over $61 million in Tether (USDT) connected to a massive "pig butchering" cryptocurrency investment scam. Scammers cultivated fake online romantic relationships with victims, then directed them to fraudulent trading platforms displaying fictitious high returns to encourage further investment. When victims attempted to withdraw funds, they were blocked and demanded additional fees. Homeland Security Investigations traced the laundered proceeds across multiple wallets to identify and seize the substantial remaining assets. Tether cooperated with the Department of Justice and HSI in freezing and recovering the funds. This seizure occurs amid a surge in crypto fraud, particularly AI-driven pig butchering schemes, which saw a 1,400% year-on-year increase in social engineering scams in 2025, leading to $17 billion in losses.

(Source：Cointelegraph)