A Florida resident lost $420,000 after scammers posing as federal law enforcement officers convinced the victim they were under investigation for international money laundering.
In a lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Orlando Division, a Lake Mary resident says the scam began in January 2025 after receiving phone calls from people claiming to represent the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the FBI and the Department of Justice (DOJ).
The callers allegedly told the victim they had been linked to organized crime and international money laundering.
To make the story appear legitimate, the fraudsters repeatedly called and texted the victim and sent what appeared to be an official DOJ arrest warrant containing the victim’s name and Social Security number.
Authorities say the scammers warned that unless the victim cooperated by providing a complete list of financial assets for a supposed forensic review, the federal government would freeze their accounts and arrest them.
Believing the claims were real, the victim followed the scammers’ instructions and provided banking information, opened a cryptocurrency account, and transferred $420,000 for what they were told was a temporary forensic analysis.
The callers allegedly promised the money would be returned once the investigation was complete.
Instead, the funds disappeared.
The victim eventually contacted the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office to check on the status of the investigation, only to learn there was no money-laundering case, no federal arrest warrant and no forensic review.
Federal investigators say the same operation also targeted two Oregon residents, who allegedly lost about $1.9 million and $5.6 million in similar law enforcement impersonation scams.
In seeking to recover the remaining cryptocurrency, authorities warned that criminals are increasingly impersonating government agencies to pressure victims into moving money.
“Over the past few years, individuals and businesses, domestically and internationally, have seen a drastic increase in victimization associated with fraud schemes that are commonly referred to as Law Enforcement Officer Impersonation Scams.”
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