FBI Seizes NFTs and Crypto Worth $250k From Scammer

The U.S.’ Federal Bureau of Investigation has issued an official notification today which involved the seizure of crypto, digital assets, and NFTs worth roughly $250,000 from at least two different locations.

First among these is about 2.2 BTC valued at $39k, seized by the agency in Houston, Texas for forfeiture. The total value of Bitcoin was seized from three different wallets. Another filing reported 86.5 in ETH worth $116k seized from a person of interest named Chase Senecal on October, 2022. An Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Watch worth $41,000 was also seized

The same person also held NFTs worth $104k, which included Bored Ape Yacht Club #9658 and a Doodle #3114. According to profile details from OpenSea, both of these belonged to a user named “C55047” who still had activities on the platform as recent as two days ago.

On-chain sleuth ZachXBT started the investigation on this scammer now known as “HZ,” whose actions have resulted to the forfeiture of these aforementioned digital assets. A Twitter thread from ZachXBT back on September, 2022, led to the capture of Chase Senecal/HZ.

1/ Since Dec 2021 we’ve seen 600+ Discord servers compromised & 12+ NFT related Twitter accounts hacked as well. This has resulted in millions of dollars being stolen.

Welcome to part 2 of tracking down the people responsible. https://t.co/F5uoQsCwCc

— ZachXBT (@zachxbt) September 1, 2022

The scammer allegedly took over a number of Twitter accounts and funneled funds to his own wallets, directing payments from the crypto projects to himself.  After ZachXBT saw Senecal flaunting the high-end timepiece that had been confiscated by federal authorities in October, his true identity was exposed.

The crypto space is beginning to face more and more stringent regulations, as authorities clamp down on fraudulent activities. This recent seizure of crypto assets and NFTs serves as an example of the power that the FBI wields in the sphere of crypto regulation and adjacent laws that intersperse with it. With appropriate authority, crypto scams can be caught and dealt with swiftly, ensuring, to a certain extent, a safer environment for crypto newbies.

Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.