Crypto scam crackdown shuts 241 websites as Brooklyn DA and FBI act
Oct 15, 2026
Brooklyn prosecutors and the FBI have shut down 241 websites and seized 112 servers linked to an alleged Eastern European crypto scam network accused of stealing tens of millions of dollars from Americans.
Crypto scam crackdown targets the systems behind replacement websites
Before the latest action, the Virtual Currency Unit had already seized or disrupted 400 domains associated with cryptocurrency investment fraud, the office said. Although taking websites offline helped warn potential victims, prosecutors found that replacement sites appeared quickly.
Russian-speaking victims faced investment and recovery schemes
For victims, the alleged fraud extended beyond the initial investment loss. District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said the operators later approached people with false offers to retrieve their stolen cryptocurrency.
Brooklyn’s separate Coinbase case produced a prison sentence
In another case investigated by the same unit, crypto.news reported on Sept. 24 that Ronald Spektor had received a four-to-12-year prison sentence for stealing nearly $16 million from approximately 100 Coinbase users.
US agencies and companies have pursued cross-border scam operations
On Oct. 13, Coinbase disclosed its participation in a West African scam operation involving the Justice Department’s Scam Center Strike Force and the UK’s National Crime Agency.
According to the exchange, the Oct. 6–9 operation in London targeted accounts, digital infrastructure and payment systems used by criminal networks. Its investigators traced financial activity, supported efforts to freeze assets and shared information with law enforcement.
FBI recovery guidance identifies authorized claims channels
Americans reported $11.4 billion in cryptocurrency fraud losses during 2025, up 22% from the previous year, according to FBI figures cited by Bloomberg.
In June 26 coverage of OneCoin victim recovery claims, the FBI explained that an official Justice Department remission program used more than $40 million in forfeited assets to provide compensation to eligible victims.
According to the agency’s notice, the program covered people who purchased OneCoin between 2014 and 2019 and suffered direct financial losses. The FBI said submitting a petition was free and did not guarantee payment.
For that investigation, the FBI identified justice.gov and onecoinremission.com as the only authorized websites and directed people reporting cryptocurrency investment fraud to its Internet Crime Complaint Center.
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