FBI
FBI has been named in 10 documented digital harm incidents, including 2 fatalities and 2 involving minors. The most common harm domain is Fraud & Financial, followed by Child Safety.
Documented Incidents
10Ringleader sentenced to 20 years for $73.6 million romance‑fraud and money‑laundering scheme
A 42‑year‑old man, Daren Li, was sentenced in absentia to 20 years in prison for leading a romance‑fraud operation that laundered about $73.6 million from elderly victims. The scheme used dating and professional platforms such as BLK, Tinder, CashApp and Bitcoin ATMs to convince victims like Kate Kleinert, Beth Hyland and Jackie Crenshaw to send gift cards, loans and cryptocurrency. Federal agents from the FBI and the FTC highlighted the case as an example of the growing link between romance scams and larger crypto‑money‑muling operations, which have caused severe financial and emotional harm to victims.
Bay Area retiree loses $500,000 life savings to pig butchering scammer posing as romantic interest
A Bay Area retiree lost $500,000 — his life savings — after being romanced online by a scammer posing as a woman. Despite warnings from family and friends, he continued wiring money to fake cryptocurrency investment platforms. The FBI and Secret Service were unable to recover the funds.
Pig butchering victim recovers $1 million after ChatGPT helps identify scam operation
A San Jose widow, Margaret Loke, lost nearly $1 million in a crypto "pig-butchering" scam after a scammer posing as a romantic partner, "Ed," convinced her to invest in fake cryptocurrency platforms. The scam, which began in May 2024 via Facebook and WhatsApp, involved fabricated investment returns and emotional manipulation. Loke sent escalating amounts, including $490,000 from her IRA and $300,000 from a second mortgage, before realizing the scam when her account "froze." After consulting ChatGPT, she was alerted to the scam and reported it to the police. The funds were traced to a bank in Malaysia, where scammers withdrew them. Federal regulators warn that such relationship-based crypto scams are a growing threat, with limited chances of recovering funds once they leave U.S. banking systems.
US victims lose billions to cryptocurrency pig butchering scams operating through social media platforms
Crypto investment scams, specifically "pig butchering" schemes, have caused significant financial losses, with over $1.9 billion reported in the first half of 2024, according to the FBI. Shai Plonski, a man from Sebastopol, California, was scammed after being groomed by a woman he met on a Facebook dating site, who convinced him to invest in cryptocurrency. After losing his life savings, Plonski discovered he had been a victim of a scam. The FBI and officials warn that these scams often involve long-term manipulation and can lead to victims liquidating assets like 401Ks or taking out loans. Additionally, ABC News found that many scammers in Southeast Asia, Africa, and South America are themselves victims of human trafficking, forced to work in scam compounds. A woman from South Africa, who was trafficked to Myanmar under the pretense of a customer service job, described being held in a scam compound and forced to target victims like Plonski.
FBI Reports 13,000 Financial Sextortion Cases Involving Minors Leading to 20 Suicides
The FBI reported 13,000 incidents of financial sextortion involving minors over an 18-month period, resulting in at least 20 suicides. These cases involved minors being coerced into sending explicit images or money to perpetrators. The FBI has been actively tracking and addressing these incidents.
FBI Seizes Domain Linked to Widespread 'Pig Butchering' Crypto Scam
The FBI seized a web domain associated with a large-scale 'pig butchering' cryptocurrency scam, which deceives victims into investing in fake platforms before draining their accounts. The operation aims to disrupt a scam that has defrauded individuals of significant sums. This incident involves law enforcement action against a specific cryptocurrency fraud scheme.
South African Woman Kidnapped and Forced to Work in Myanmar Pig Butchering Scam Compound
A woman identified only as 'Sara' was kidnapped in South Africa and trafficked to Myanmar, where she was forced to operate a pig butchering cryptocurrency scam targeting victims in the United States. Her account revealed the dual victimhood at the heart of these operations: U.S. victims including Bay Area scientist Warren Dang lost life savings, while the scam operators themselves were often trafficking victims held against their will. The FBI reported investment scam losses rose to $4.5 billion in 2023.
Global Financial Sextortion Crisis Targeting Teen Boys Linked to Suicides
The FBI and international partners have issued a warning about a global financial sextortion crisis specifically targeting teenage boys. This incident has been linked to over 20 suicides. Sextortion involves coercing victims into sending explicit images or videos in exchange for money or other favors.
Santa Monica Software Developer Loses $740,000 in Pig Butchering Scam
Warren Dang, a Santa Monica software developer, lost $740,000 after a scammer posing as a romantic partner named 'Jenny' on a dating app lured him into a fake cryptocurrency investment platform. The scam unfolded over weeks as the scammer built emotional trust before convincing him to transfer escalating sums. Dang was among hundreds of Californians defrauded in pig butchering schemes that year, with statewide losses exceeding $1.1 billion in 2023.
Palantir's Secret Predictive Policing Program in New Orleans
In 2012, Palantir Technologies partnered with the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) to implement a predictive policing program aimed at identifying gang members and predicting violent crime. The program was not publicly disclosed and was established under a philanthropic partnership with the city's NOPD. The use of this technology raised concerns about algorithmic discrimination and wrongful arrests.