Nigerian Scammer Posing as Trump Ally Steve Witkoff Stole 250K in Crypto From One Political Donor

A Nigerian scammer, impersonating Steve Witkoff—a long-time associate of former President Donald Trump and co-chair of the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee—defrauded a prospective political donor of approximately $250,000 in cryptocurrency. This was revealed in a recent press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

The scammer cleverly employed a spoofed email address, strikingly similar to Witkoff’s legitimate Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee email, to deceive the donor. The victim unknowingly transferred $250,000 worth of USDT.ETH into the scammer’s digital wallet.

While the scammer attempted to launder the stolen funds, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) successfully recovered and froze 40,300 USDT.ETH. Half of this amount was located in a Binance account registered to Ehiremen Aigbokhan, a Lagos-based fraudster, often referred to as a “yahoo boy” in local parlance. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is working to return the seized funds to the victim. However, over $210,000 in crypto remains unrecovered.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro issued a statement emphasizing the importance of verifying cryptocurrency recipients, highlighting the challenges law enforcement faces in recovering misappropriated digital assets due to the blockchain’s complexities. Despite these challenges, the statement reassured the public of the government’s commitment to pursuing criminals and compensating victims.

Multiple Nigerian news outlets report that U.S. authorities are pursuing a formal arrest warrant for Aigbokhan. The connection between Witkoff and his son Zach to the Trump family’s cryptocurrency venture, World Liberty Financial, adds another layer to this case. The Department of Justice acknowledged the cooperation of Binance and Tether in the investigation. This case underscores the growing need for heightened vigilance in cryptocurrency transactions, especially those involving significant sums of money and prominent individuals. The sophisticated nature of the scam highlights the evolving tactics employed by cybercriminals and the increasing importance of robust security measures in the digital finance space.