Synopsis- A Nigerian scammer impersonated Trump ally Steve Witkoff, duping a donor into sending $250K in crypto by faking an email domain. The U.S. Attorney’s Office confirmed the cyber fraud.
A Nigerian fraudster tricked a political donor out of a quarter-million dollars. This criminal impersonated Steve Witkoff, a key Donald Trump ally. Following this, the victim sent $250,000 in cryptocurrency to the scammer. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. confirmed this sophisticated theft recently. The scammer cleverly faked Witkoff’s email address. He used the domain “@t47lnaugural.com” instead of the real “@t47inaugural.com”. Therefore, a lowercase “L” replaced a lowercase “I”. This subtle change easily fooled the donor on December 24, 2024. Believing Witkoff requested funds, the victim transferred 250,300 USDT.ETH on December 26th.
The Money Vanishes
The criminal quickly laundered the stolen crypto. Within two hours, he moved it across multiple wallets. This tactic aimed to obscure the money trail effectively. Ultimately, the funds landed in a wallet ending in “58c52”. When the victim realised they had been duped. They contacted authorities immediately seeking help. The FBI’s Washington Field Office aggressively pursued the case. Agents meticulously traced the stolen cryptocurrency across the blockchain. Fortunately, they received crucial assistance from Tether, the USDT issuer. As a result, investigators recovered and froze 40,353 USDT.ETH, worth roughly $40,300.
Significantly, half the recovered crypto sat in a Binance account. This account belonged to Ehiremen Aigbokhan, based in Lagos, Nigeria. Local reports label Aigbokhan a “yahoo boy,” a term for online fraudsters. Furthermore, Binance also fully cooperated with the U.S. government probe. U.S. officials are now reportedly seeking Aigbokhan’s formal arrest.
Victim Relief and Ongoing Loss
The U.S. Attorney’s Office promptly filed a civil forfeiture complaint. They aim to return the recovered $40,300 to the victim. However, this represents only a fraction of the total theft. Sadly, over $210,000 worth of crypto remains missing. Retrieving it poses immense challenges for law enforcement. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro issued a stark warning. “All donors should double and triple check recipient details,” Pirro stressed. She emphasised blockchain complexity hinders fund recovery significantly. “Nevertheless, my office stands ready to fight criminals,” Pirro vowed. Her team strives to make victims whole again.
FBI Assistant Director Steven J. Jensen echoed Pirro’s caution. “Impersonation scams cost Americans billions yearly,” Jensen stated. He urged careful review of emails and website URLs. Scammers exploit subtle differences deliberately, Jensen explained. Vigilance remains the best defence against such fraud.
Broader Risks in Crypto Fundraising
This audacious scam exploited high-level political connections. Witkoff co-chairs the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee. Moreover, he and his son Zach link closely to the Trump family’s crypto venture, World Liberty Financial. The committee openly accepts cryptocurrency donations. This policy potentially attracts more sophisticated fraud attempts.
Experts note the scam relied more on deception than technical hacking. It exploited human trust and political sentiment cleverly. Phishing remains a top scam method, leveraging emotions like urgency. Legacy tech vulnerabilities, like domain spoofing, enable these crimes persistently. As political crypto adoption grows, so do associated risks. Donors must verify every transaction meticulously to avoid similar costly traps.
Written By Fazal Ul Vahab C H
