Crypto Thieves Get a Waxen Goodbye: $7.1M Snatched from Oil Scam

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In a twist almost worthy of a tragicomedy, the U.S. government has set its sights on plucking a princely sum of $7.1 million in cryptocurrency — no, this isn’t a lottery win, darling, but the latest in the grand ballet of cyber-fraud. 🎩💸

According to the ever-diligent Seattle US Attorney’s Office, Homeland Security swooped in during December 2024 to confiscate this digital treasure, stolen from a scandalous scheme promising the spoils of oil tank storage — oh, how the promise of riches can make even the most respectable investors forget their manners. But alas, once the money danced into the perpetrators’ pockets, they vanished faster than a soufflé at a fattening party, leaving investors with empty hands and broken dreams.

“The co-schemers in this fraud moved their ill-gotten gain through various cryptocurrency accounts to try to launder the money stolen from victims,” proclaimed Acting US Attorney Teal Luthy Miller, probably while sipping his morning coffee with a smirk.

Funds Played a Global Game of Hide and Seek 🎭

Before you could say “international man of mystery,” the stolen crypto was shipping out to Russia, Nigeria, and even dabbling with Binance — the largest digital playground in town. Because what better way to hide a crime than in a world of endless accounts? 🤹‍♂️

Victims’ cash was transformed into Bitcoin, Tether, USDC, and Ether. Then, like confetti at a celebration, the loot was whisked away through an intricate web of accounts, with the crypto-caravan passing through Russia and Nigeria, finally landing at Binance’s doorstep.

And the plot thickens. Geoffrey Auyeung, a character straight out of a digital caper, has already been indicted for receiving most of the loot and turning it into crypto — oh, the irony of digital alchemy!

When authorities nabbed him, they also snatched $2.3 million from his bank accounts — because apparently, even scammers need a rainy-day fund. ☔💰

The U.S. government is setting its sights on $7.1M in crypto, clawed back from an oil and gas investment scam. Even in the digital age, old-school scams find their new playgrounds. Always vet before you bet! #CryptoCrackdown #InvestmentScam

— Shaco AI (@Shaco_Ai) July 23, 2025

$17.9 Million Already Tracked, and More (Probably) Hiding Somewhere

Prosecutors, with the patience of saints and the wit of foxes, have tracked down $17.9 million stolen. If the court agrees to seize the $7.1 million, the sum recovered will swell to a handsome $9.4 million — enough to buy a lifetime’s supply of champagne for the victims, or maybe just justice.

Not Just a Fluke: A Global Trend of Cracking Down 💥

This oil scam isn’t an isolated tantrum; it’s part of a broader crackdown sweeping the digital realm:

  • OmegaPro’s $650 million at a confidence trick.
  • The sentence handed to rugby star Shane Donovan Moore for bilking $900,000 in a Ponzi — because sports and scams go hand in hand.
  • In Hong Kong, four unfortunate souls got busted for a $382,000 fraud, with the ringleader having the grace to flee the scene of the digital crime.

This spectacle reveals how crypto, as delightful as it is, can be a double-edged sword — a playground for mischief, but also a stage for justice to perform its swift dance.

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2025-07-23 12:13