BUNNELL, Fla. – The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office announced on Monday it was able to trace, seize and return stolen money to two local victims of cryptocurrency scams.
According to FCSO, this marked the first time the FCSO’s Cyber Crimes Unit seized cryptocurrency and returned the funds to their rightful owner.
The first incident happened in December 2024, when a victim reported she had been the victim of fraud. According to the victim, an unknown suspect convinced her to transfer money from a Bitcoin account through the mobile payment application CashApp.
According to FCSO, cybercrime detectives were able to track a portion of the funds totaling $612.72 to a Coinbase wallet. In April, detectives conducted a search warrant and seized the funds.
The second fraud incident happened in January.
According to FCSO, the victim reported she received an email claiming to be from PayPal saying that she owed money, and provided a contact number for her to follow up. Deputies said during that call, the suspect was able to get access to her computer and, after claiming a refund error, persuaded the victim to go to a gas station and transfer $4,000 in bitcoin through a kiosk.
Cybercrime detectives were able to track the funds to an LBank Exchange wallet associated with a person from India. In May, detectives executed a search warrant and seized the funds.
In each case, Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols authorized the seized funds to be released back to their rightful owners.
Sheriff Rick Staly presented both victims with checks: $612.71 to the first victim and $4,000 to the second victim.
“Cryptocurrency scams are becoming very popular by criminals, and it is notoriously difficult to get that money back,” said Staly in a news release. “This is one of the reasons we created the Cyber Crimes Unit and purchased the sophisticated financial software for the unit to use. Tracing, seizing, and returning the money stolen during these scams is a significant achievement by our Cyber Crimes Unit and especially Detective First Class Hill.”
The investigations are ongoing. No arrests have been made in either case.
“I urge all residents to educate themselves on cryptocurrency scams and other scams that criminals use to prey on our community,” Sheriff Staly added. “Pay close attention to signs of a potential scam and be wary of giving personal information or sending money to anyone who you have not met in person.”
To learn more about cryptocurrency scams, including how to avoid and report them, visit this website.
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