Nigerian scammer stole over 250,000 USDT by posing as Steve Witkoff

A Nigerian scammer or group of scammers posed as co-chairman of President Donald Trump's inaugural committee and Vice President Jay Vance, stealing 250,300 USDT. This was stated in a statement from the Attorney General's Office of the District of Columbia.

According to law enforcement, in December 2024, victims of this scam received letters allegedly from Steve Witkoff. They were sent from the email address @t47lnaugural.com. The scammers replaced the letter 'i' in the original email address with 'l', misleading the recipients. The letters stated that Trump needed financial support. Donors were asked to send funds to the cryptocurrency wallet '58c52'.

One victim transferred 250,300 USDT to the specified account using the Ethereum network. Soon after, the funds were laundered and distributed to other wallets. With the help of Tether, the issuer of USDT, part of the amount was tracked — 40,300 USDT. The prosecutor is seeking a court order to return the assets to the scam victim.