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FBI Boston Recovers and Returns 22 Historic Artifacts to Okinawa, Japan

Source: US FBI

In total, the FBI recovered 22 artifacts: six painted scrolls from the 18th-19th centuries (three of which were one piece and appear to have been divided into three pieces), a hand-drawn map of Okinawa dating back to the 19th century, and various pieces of pottery and ceramics. A typewritten letter was also found with the artifacts in Massachusetts that helped confirm they were looted during the last days of World War II. 

“When taken together, they really represent a substantial piece of Okinawan history,” said Kelly.

The FBI transported the artifacts from Massachusetts to Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C., where the scrolls were unfurled for the first time in many years, revealing portraits of Okinawan royalty in vivid reds, golds, and blue accents. 

“It’s an exciting moment when you when you watch the scroll unfurl in front of you,” said Kelly. “You witness history, and you witness something that hasn’t been seen by many people in a very long time.”

A hand-drawn map of Okinawa dates back to the 19th century.

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FBI Jacksonville Program Aims to Keep Connected Kids Safe

Source: US FBI

Hardwick and Markovsky urged parents to have those difficult conversations with kids ahead of time so they are comfortable enough to reach out if they need help. The sheriff’s office and FBI have resources for to help. “Don’t hesitate to contact us,” Markovsky said. 

During the recent outreach event, officials highlighted investigations that the FBI and partners worked in the area, and they showed how predators and violent extremists are exploiting new and emerging technologies. In sextortion cases, for example, predators are using sophisticated software to manipulate images teens freely share to then threaten and extort them.

“When parents understand both the devices and schemes in-depth, they can better explain the risks to their kids and help them take steps to safeguard personal information and secure their online profiles,” said FBI Community Outreach Coordinator Josh Chancey.

Sara Peters found the support of law enforcement to be empowering. “I know we’ll have to get her a phone at some point,” she said, “but now I feel like I know what to do, and maybe I can stay one step ahead with their help.”

ASAC Markovsky said when the time comes to get your child a phone, first have an open and honest talk about the people they could meet online and what those people might do.

“It will probably be a difficult, uncomfortable conversation,” he said. “But it’s necessary because no matter their age, the unfortunate reality is that they will likely be targeted.”

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A Proven Partnership: Director Discusses FBI-Military Collaboration at West Point

Source: US FBI

On March 4, FBI Director Christopher Wray visited the U.S. Military Academy at West Point to speak with future U.S. Army officers about the Bureau’s legacy of collaboration with the Defense Department. 

“The FBI’s special agents, intelligence analysts, and professional staff are motivated by the same sense of patriotism and duty as the Corps and soldiers around the world,” Wray said in his address to the West Point Corps of Cadets. “Like you, everything we do is driven by our mission—protecting the American people and upholding the Constitution. We’ll always have a bond with those in careers of service protecting Americans, and with anyone committed to the values of duty, honor, country.” 

He also spoke to the persistence of great-power competition, threats posed by generative artificial intelligence, and counterterrorism. 

Finally, he invited the cadets in attendance to consider a career with the FBI once they leave uniform. If they do, he said, they’ll be in good company. 

“At the FBI, we’ve got almost 8,000 veterans among our 38,000 employees—including 179 who attended West Point—and it’s easy to see why so many veterans find working at the Bureau a natural fit: It’s a chance to keep serving a cause greater than themselves,” Wray said. “Among those is our Associate Deputy Director Brian Turner, who was Class of ’91. … Brian is now the number-three executive in the Bureau and our second-highest ranking special agent.” 

The speech was followed by a question-and-answer session, during which cadets posed candid questions to Director Wray.

FBI Director Christopher Wray (center) poses for a photo with cadets from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point during a visit to the school on March 4, 2024. U.S. Army photo by Christopher Hennen/USMA Public Affairs Office.

Partnering with the Military 

West Point cadets should expect to partner with the FBI during their tenures, no matter what career field they pursue once they’re commissioned into the Army, Wray said.  

Wray said that examples of the Bureau’s partnership with the military in action include: 

  • Supporting the Joint Interagency Task Force, South, which detects and monitors the illegal trafficking of human, drug, and weapons trafficking  
  • Collaborating on trials held at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay 
  • “Collaborating on emerging technology at the Army Futures Command—where our current FBI detailee is himself a West Point grad” 
  • Teaming up “on mission areas as diverse as hostage rescue, human intelligence, and special warfare” 

And, he added, the partnership works both ways, noting that military representatives serve on FBI task forces throughout the country. 

Wray also praised the FBI’s use of teamwork with the military in cyberspace. 

“Even within that mission set, we’ve worked together across government to innovate—moving from a defensive mindset to one that’s more offensive,” he said. “That means coordinating with our partners on joint, sequenced operations designed to maximize impact on our adversaries.”

He said the fruits of that collaboration have included an operation that forced the Russian Federal Security Service’s Snake malware to “effectively cannibalize” itself. “We took down Snake in over 50 countries, with the help of our U.S. and more than half a dozen foreign partners,” Wray said. 

“Another example: the year-and-a-half-long campaign we waged—with our European partners—to hack the hackers of Hive, a ransomware group targeting hospitals, schools, and emergency services, whose servers and websites we seized and shut down, and whose victims we saved from tens of millions in ransom payments by using our access to decrypt their networks,” Wray said. 

And in February, he added, the military helped the Bureau and our international law enforcement partners conduct an operation that evicted Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate from more than 1,000 wireless internet routers and prevented it from getting that access back. As a result, Russia lost access “to a botnet it was piggybacking to run cyber operations against countries around the world,” such as the U.S. and our European allies.

Wray noted that he meets with the dual-hatted commander of U.S. Cyber Command (CYBERCOM) and director of the National Security Agency (NSA) “just about every other week.”

FBI Director Christopher Wray addresses cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point during a Commandant’s Hour lecture on March 4, 2024. U.S. Army photo by Christopher Hennen/USMA Public Affairs Office.

Counterterrorism 

Wray also addressed a recent influx in foreign terrorist threats against the U.S. and our allies from Hezbollah, al Qaeda, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (an offshoot of the main organization), and ISIS stemming from the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict following the October 7, 2023, terror attacks in the region. 

“Although we cannot and do not discount the possibility of another coordinated 9/11-style attack by a foreign terrorist organization, our most immediate concern has been that individuals or small groups will draw twisted inspiration from the events in the Middle East to carry out attacks here at home,” Wray said.  

Since October 7, 2023, Wray said, the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division has investigated “thousands of reported threats stemming from the conflict.” And while he says those reports are beginning to “level off,” the Bureau anticipates that the situation in the Gaza region “will feed a pipeline of radicalization and mobilization for years to come.” 

Great-Power Competition 

The FBI is also hard at work ensuring to shield U.S. national security from threats posed by hostile nation-states. Wray also pointed to China’s outsized hacking program and the amount of American data it’s stolen as proof that great-power competition persists. 

“The Chinese Communist Party has shown it’s willing to lie, cheat, and steal its way to achieve its ambition of becoming the world’s one and only superpower,” he said. 

China’s government poses “the greatest long-term threat to” American ideas and the security of both our country and its economy, by Wray’s estimation. 

But, he noted, China isn’t alone in its quest to challenge America’s standing on the world stage. 

The FBI’s counterintelligence workforce also spends “countless hours” fighting off Russian attempts to pilfer U.S. “government secrets and sow division through human intelligence operations, sophisticated cyber intrusions, signals collection platforms, and foreign malign influence campaigns,” he said. 

FBI Director Christopher Wray (left) speaks with U.S. Military Academy Superintendent Army Lt. Gen. Steve Gilland following his Commandant’s Hour lecture at West Point on March 4, 2024. U.S. Army photo by Christopher Hennen/USMA Public Affairs Office.

Generative AI as a Double-Edged Sword 

Wray also addressed the topic of emerging technology, noting that while it can help the Bureau and military achieve its missions, it also comes with risks.  

Wray used generative artificial intelligence to illustrate this point. While this kind of AI can help law enforcement more efficiently work with data and detect threats, it’s also helping bad actors—including terrorists and hackers.  

“There’s a lot of AI-enhanced or -enabled danger for us to battle already, and more coming down the road—all of which highlights the importance, for both the FBI and our nation’s military, of innovation: finding new ways to be more efficient, more agile, and more resilient to prepare ourselves for five, 10, 20 years down the road,” Wray said. 

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San Diego Physician and Medical Practice Pay $3.8 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

Source: US FBI

SAN DIEGO – Dr. Janette J. Gray of San Diego and her former medical practice, The Center for Health & Wellbeing in San Diego, have agreed to pay $3.8 million to settle allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by knowingly submitting false claims to the Medicare and TRICARE programs.

Dr. Gray and The Center claimed to operate an “alternative,” “integrative,” and “holistic” clinic, which was staffed by medical doctors, nurse practitioners, naturopathic doctors, chiropractors, acupuncturists, and mental health professionals, along with ancillary medical and administrative staff. Dr. Gray and The Center promoted IV infusion therapy, hormone/supplement therapy, and a variety of other alternative treatments.

The settlement resolves allegations that from 2012 to 2022, Dr. Gray and her practice billed Medicare and TRICARE for services that were not covered under either program by disguising the rendering provider, misrepresenting the services provided, “unbundling” services (by billing for a procedure or service in separate parts instead of a single code), or billing for services not medically necessary. In addition to paying $3.8 million to resolve the allegations, Dr. Gray will now be excluded from participating in Medicare, Medicaid, and all other Federal health care programs for five years.

“There’s no price tag on the integrity of our healthcare system,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “When a doctor engages in billing fraud, we will protect patients and taxpayers from deceit.”

“The civil settlement holds Dr. Gray and her former medical practice accountable for questionable actions that circumvented the TRICARE billing guidelines and allowed them to receive payments for services that should not have been reimbursed by TRICARE, costing American taxpayers millions of dollars,” said Bryan D. Denny, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Western Field Office.  “DCIS and its partners will always aggressively investigate those who defraud TRICARE, because those deceptive actions ultimately harm those defending our country and their families.”

“This investigation is proof that the FBI and its law enforcement partners remain committed to investigating and bringing to justice anyone who tries to violate the American health care system,” said FBI San Diego Acting Special Agent in Charge Houtan Moshrefi.

The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California; the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; DCIS; and the FBI. This matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maritsa A. Flaherty.

The resolution of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

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Court-Authorized Operation Disrupts Worldwide Botnet Used by People’s Republic of China State-Sponsored Hackers

Source: US FBI

Note: View the affidavit here.

The Justice Department today announced a court-authorized law enforcement operation that disrupted a botnet consisting of more than 200,000 consumer devices in the United States and worldwide. As described in court documents unsealed in the Western District of Pennsylvania, the botnet devices were infected by People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-sponsored hackers working for Integrity Technology Group, a company based in Beijing, and known to the private sector as “Flax Typhoon.”

The botnet malware infected numerous types of consumer devices, including small-office/home-office (SOHO) routers, internet protocol (IP) cameras, digital video recorders (DVRs), and network-attached storage (NAS) devices. The malware connected these thousands of infected devices into a botnet, controlled by Integrity Technology Group, which was used to conduct malicious cyber activity disguised as routine internet traffic from the infected consumer devices. The court-authorized operation took control of the hackers’ computer infrastructure and, among other steps, sent disabling commands through that infrastructure to the malware on the infected devices. During the course of the operation, there was an attempt to interfere with the FBI’s remediation efforts through a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack targeting the operational infrastructure that the FBI was utilizing to effectuate the court’s orders. That attack was ultimately unsuccessful in preventing the FBI’s disruption of the botnet.

“The Justice Department is zeroing in on the Chinese government backed hacking groups that target the devices of innocent Americans and pose a serious threat to our national security,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “As we did earlier this year, the Justice Department has again destroyed a botnet used by PRC-backed hackers to infiltrate consumer devices here in the United States and around the world. We will continue to aggressively counter the threat that China’s state- sponsored hacking groups pose to the American people.”

“Our takedown of this state-sponsored botnet reflects the Department’s all-tools approach to disrupting cyber criminals. This network, managed by a PRC government contractor, hijacked hundreds of thousands of private routers, cameras, and other consumer devices to create a malicious system for the PRC to exploit,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “Today should serve as a warning to cybercriminals preying on Americans – if you continue to come for us, we will come for you.”

“This dynamic operation demonstrates, once again, the Justice Department’s resolve in countering the threats posed by PRC state-sponsored hackers,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the National Security Division. “For the second time this year, we have disrupted a botnet used by PRC proxies to conceal their efforts to hack into networks in the U.S. and around the world to steal information and hold our infrastructure at risk. Our message to these hackers is clear: if you build it, we will bust it.”

“The disruption of this worldwide botnet is part of the FBI’s commitment to using technical operations to help protect victims, expose publicly the scope of these criminal hacking campaigns, and to use the adversary’s tools against them to remove malicious infrastructure from the virtual battlefield,” said FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate. “The FBI’s unique legal authorities allowed it to lead an international operation with partners that collectively disconnected this botnet from its China-based hackers at Integrity Technology Group.”

“The targeted hacking of hundreds of thousands of innocent victims in the United States and around the world shows the breadth and aggressiveness of PRC state-sponsored hackers,” said U.S. Attorney Eric G. Olshan for the Western District of Pennsylvania. “This court-authorized operation disrupted a sophisticated botnet designed to steal sensitive information and launch disruptive cyber attacks. We will continue to work with our partners inside and outside government, using every tool at our disposal, to defend and maintain global cybersecurity.”

“The FBI’s investigation revealed that a publicly-traded, China-based company is openly selling its customers the ability to hack into and control thousands of consumer devices worldwide. This operation sends a clear message to the PRC that the United States will not tolerate this shameless criminal conduct,” said Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy of the FBI San Diego Field Office.

According to the court documents, the botnet was developed and controlled by Integrity Technology Group, a publicly-traded company headquartered in Beijing. The company built an online application allowing its customers to log in and control specified infected victim devices, including with a menu of malicious cyber commands using a tool called “vulnerability-arsenal.” The online application was prominently labelled “KRLab,” one of the main public brands used by Integrity Technology Group.

The FBI assesses that Integrity Technology Group, in addition to developing and controlling the botnet, is responsible for computer intrusion activities attributed to China-based hackers known by the private sector as “Flax Typhoon.” Microsoft Threat Intelligence described Flax Typhoon as nation-state actors based out of China, active since 2021, who have targeted government agencies and education, critical manufacturing, and information technology organizations in Taiwan, and elsewhere. The FBI’s investigation has corroborated Microsoft’s conclusions, finding that Flax Typhoon has successfully attacked multiple U.S. and foreign corporations, universities, government agencies, telecommunications providers, and media organizations.

A cybersecurity advisory describing Integrity Technology Group tactics, techniques and procedures was also published today by the FBI, the National Security Agency, U.S. Cyber Command’s Cyber National Mission Force, and partner agencies in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. 

The government’s malware disabling commands, which interacted with the malware’s native functionality, were extensively tested prior to the operation. As expected, the operation did not affect the legitimate functions of, or collect content information from, the infected devices. The FBI is providing notice to U.S. owners of devices that were affected by this court-authorized operation. The FBI is contacting those victims through their internet service provider, who will provide notice to their customers.

The FBI’s San Diego Field Office and Cyber Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania, and the National Security Cyber Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division led the domestic disruption effort. Assistance was also provided by the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section. These efforts would not have been successful without the collaboration of partners, including French authorities, and Lumen Technologies’ threat intelligence group, Black Lotus Labs, which first identified and described this botnet, which it named Raptor Train, in July 2023.

If you believe you have a compromised computer or device, please visit the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) or report online to CISA. You may also contact your local FBI field office directly.

The FBI continues to investigate Integrity Technology Group’s and Flax Typhoon’s computer intrusion activities.

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The Terrorist Screening Center Changes Name to the Threat Screening Center

Source: US FBI

The FBI’s Terrorist Screening Center (TSC) has been renamed the Threat Screening Center to reflect an expanded mission. For more than 20 years, the Terrorist Screening Center has been the U.S. government’s lead terrorist watchlisting entity. As national security threats continue to evolve, the TSC has expanded beyond terrorism watchlisting and screening to address other national security threats, like transnational organized crime (TOC).

With the recent designation of eight drug cartels and gangs as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs), the TSC is well positioned to significantly increase its available identity information on transnational organized crime actors. To reflect this broader mission and increased focus on watchlisting FTO-designated TOC members, the TSC has changed its name to the Threat Screening Center.

“Border security is essential to protecting our country and providing safer communities for our citizens,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “We’re expanding the watchlist to include cartel and gang members from newly designated foreign terrorist organizations. This change will assist our law enforcement and Intelligence Community partners as we all work together toward the goal of crushing violent crime within our borders.”

“With expanding and growing threats, we are reflecting that in our name,” added TSC Director Michael Glasheen. “Transnational organized crime watchlisting plays an important role in U.S. security interests while we continue to prevent terrorist attacks. The name change is a signal to the American people that the TSC is a powerful tool that can be used to fight all national security threats.”

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Fausto Isidro Meza-Flores Agregado a La Lista de Los Diez Fugitivos Más Buscados del FBI

Source: US FBI

El FBI agregó hoy a Fausto Isidro Meza-Flores a la lista de los Diez Fugitivos Más Buscados. Es la adición número 533 a la lista.

Meza-Flores, también conocido como “Chapo Isidro”, es el presunto líder de la organización criminal transnacional Meza-Flores, con sede en Sinaloa, México. La organización es presuntamente responsable de la posesión, distribución e importación de grandes cantidades de cocaína, fentanilo, heroína, metanfetamina y marihuana a los Estados Unidos.

“Durante décadas, el público ha compartido información con el FBI que nos ha ayudado a capturar criminales peligrosos”, dijo el Agente Especial a Cargo Sean Ryan. “Hoy, les pedimos que nos ayuden a encontrar a Fausto Isidro Meza-Flores, para que podamos llevarlo ante la justicia y frenar el flujo de drogas ilegales a nuestro país”.

Meza-Flores fue acusado originalmente el 2 de mayo de 2012 en el Tribunal de Distrito de los Estados Unidos para el Distrito de Columbia. El 26 de noviembre de 2019, un gran jurado federal emitió una acusación formal sustitutiva acusando a Meza-Flores de violaciones de tráfico de drogas y posesión de un arma de fuego. Según la acusación, Meza-Flores supuestamente conspiró para fabricar y distribuir cocaína, heroína, metanfetamina y marihuana en los Estados Unidos entre 2005 y 2019.

Como presunto líder de la organización criminal transnacional Meza-Flores, Meza-Flores lidera un grupo de pistoleros fuertemente armados que utilizan la violencia para mantener el control de áreas en México utilizadas para la producción y transporte de estupefacientes destinados a los Estados Unidos.

FAUSTO ISIDRO MEZA-FLORES

Conspiracy to Manufacture and Distribute Five Hundred Grams or More of Methamphetamine, Distribute Five Kilograms or More of Cocaine, Distribute One Kilogram or More of Heroin, and Distribute One Thousand Kilograms or More of Marijuana for Importation into the United States; Use and Possession of a Firearm

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Fausto Isidro Meza-Flores Added to FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List

Source: US FBI

The FBI on February 4 added Fausto Isidro Meza-Flores to the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. He is the 533rd addition to the list.

Meza-Flores, also known as “Chapo Isidro,” is the alleged leader of the Meza-Flores transnational criminal organization, which is based in Sinaloa, Mexico. The organization is allegedly responsible for the possession, distribution, and importation of large quantities of cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana into the U.S.

“For decades, the public has shared information with the FBI that has helped us capture dangerous criminals,” Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan said. “Today, we ask you to help us find Fausto Isidro Meza-Flores so we can bring him to justice and curb the flow of illegal drugs into our country.”

Meza-Flores was originally indicted on May 2, 2012, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. On November 26, 2019, a federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment charging Meza-Flores with drug trafficking violations and possession of a firearm. According to the indictment, Meza-Flores allegedly conspired to manufacture and distribute cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana in the U.S. from 2005 to 2019.

As the alleged leader of the Meza-Flores transnational criminal organization, Meza-Flores leads a group of heavily armed gunmen who use violence to maintain control of areas in Mexico used for the production and transportation of narcotics destined for the U.S.

Meza-Flores is 42 years old. He has brown eyes and dark brown hair. He is 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs approximately 160 pounds. He likely resides in Mexico.

The U.S. State Department’s Narcotics Rewards Program is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information that leads to Meza-Flores’ arrest and/or conviction.

If you have information about Meza-Flores, please call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), your local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate or submit a tip via tips.fbi.gov. You can also contact the FBI via WhatsApp at 571-379-3951. WhatsApp is neither a government-operated nor a government-controlled platform.

FAUSTO ISIDRO MEZA-FLORES

Conspiracy to Manufacture and Distribute Five Hundred Grams or More of Methamphetamine, Distribute Five Kilograms or More of Cocaine, Distribute One Kilogram or More of Heroin, and Distribute One Thousand Kilograms or More of Marijuana for Importation into the United States; Use and Possession of a Firearm

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FBI Washington Field Office Releases Seeking Information Posters for Two Senior Iranian Intelligence Officers Involved in the Abduction of Robert A. Levinson

Source: US FBI

The FBI Washington Field Office today released seeking information posters featuring two senior Iranian intelligence officers who were involved in the abduction of retired FBI Special Agent Robert A. “Bob” Levinson from Kish Island, Iran, on March 9, 2007. The release of the posters is part of the FBI’s ongoing investigation into Bob’s abduction and our commitment to resolving the case for his long-suffering family.

The two intelligence officers—Mohammad Baseri and Ahmad Khazai—allegedly acted in their capacity as officials of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) during Bob’s abduction, detention, and probable death.

“The FBI remains steadfast in our commitment to return Bob to his family,” said Sanjay Virmani, special agent in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Counterterrorism Division. “Our extensive investigation continues to develop new leads and intelligence, and we will pursue all options to hold every Iranian official involved in his abduction accountable.”

For nearly 18 years, the Iranian government has denied knowledge of Bob’s whereabouts despite senior intelligence officials authorizing Bob’s abduction and detention and launching a disinformation campaign to deflect blame from the Iranian regime.

Both Baseri and Khazai are high-ranking MOIS officers. In December 2020, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Baseri and Khazai for their role in Bob’s abduction.

AHMAD KHAZAI

MOHAMMAD BASERI

According to the designation, Baseri has been involved in counterespionage activities inside and outside Iran, as well as sensitive investigations related to Iranian national security issues. He has worked directly with intelligence officials from other countries to harm U.S. interests.

Khazai has led MOIS delegations to other countries to assess security situations.

The FBI continues to offer a reward of up to $5 million for information that leads to Bob’s location, recovery, and return. If you have information about Bob or if you have information about Baseri, Khazai, or others who may have played a role in Bob’s abduction, please email levinsonfbireward@fbi.gov. You can also contact your local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate or submit a tip via tips.fbi.gov.

Additionally, the U.S. State Department’s Rewards for Justice program is offering a reward of up to $20 million for information that leads to Bob’s location, recovery, and return. You can visit RFJ’s website for more information about this reward.

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FBI San Diego Seizes Cryptocurrency Recovery Websites

Source: US FBI

SAN DIEGO — Special Agents with the FBI San Diego Field Office have seized websites belonging to three cryptocurrency recovery services. The seizures come as the FBI continues to crack down on an emerging scam tactic aimed at further defrauding cryptocurrency scam victims.

The web domains were from the following cryptocurrency recovery services: MyChargeBack, Payback LTD, and Claim Justice. These companies claim to provide cryptocurrency tracing and promise the ability to recover lost funds. Representatives of these companies often advertise strong success in recovering victim funds but have no track record in doing so. They often charge significant upfront fees and ask for a commission should funds be recovered. These companies use extensive social media advertising, including false reviews, to convince victims of the legitimacy of their services.

Potential ways to identify this type of scheme:

  • Recovery scheme fraudsters charge an up-front fee and either cease communication with the victim after receiving an initial deposit or produce an incomplete or inaccurate tracing report. They may also request additional fees to recover funds.
  • Fraudsters may claim affiliation with law enforcement or legal services to appear legitimate.
  • Scammers may reference actual financial institutions and money exchanges to build credibility and further their schemes.

Tips to avoid becoming a victim:

  • Be wary of advertisements for cryptocurrency recovery services. Research the advertised company and beware if the company uses vague language, has a minimal online presence, and makes promises regarding an ability to recover funds.
  • If an unknown individual contacts you and claims to be able to recover stolen cryptocurrency, do not release any financial or personal identifying information, and do not send money.
  • Law enforcement does not charge victims a fee for investigating crimes. If someone claims an affiliation with the FBI, contact the FBI San Diego Field Office at 858-320-1800 to confirm.

Individuals who believe they may have been a victim of this type of scheme should file a report with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.