The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is seeking to recover $200,000 stolen by criminal elements in a crypto scam carried out on the mobile dating application Tinder. The Massachusetts US Attorney’s Office filed the civil forfeiture action to recover the funds in stablecoin Tether.
According to reports, the DOJ claimed that the funds were lost to the criminal after he lied to his victim on Tinder, posing as a financial advisor who also worked as a crypto investment expert. The agency mentioned that the scam exhibited all the characteristics of a pig butchering scam, where scammers build trust with their victims through friendship or romantic relationships before luring them to invest in fraudulent crypto schemes. Typically, some victims recognize the deception after their initial investments, while others only realize they have lost all their funds.
DOJ Seeks to Recover $200k in USDT in Tinder Crypto Scam
According to the DOJ affidavit supporting the forfeiture request filed this month by FBI Special Agent Hannah Wong, the unnamed victim met an individual on the dating app Tinder. The man claimed his name was “Nino Martin,” which could be an alias, as these criminals often use false identities to avoid detection. After matching with the victim on Tinder, the suspect requested to move their communication to WhatsApp, stating they could converse more effectively there.
Once communications shifted to WhatsApp, the pair developed a rapport. During their initial conversations, the victim reported that Martin presented himself as a financial advisor who assisted individuals in generating income through various crypto investments. He also offered to help her achieve financial gains through crypto investments, suggesting they could accumulate substantial profits and secure their financial future. Following extensive discussions, the victim was persuaded and inquired about setting up an investment account.
Martin informed the victim that he had established a Coinbase account for her and instructed her to deposit funds into it. Shortly thereafter, he advised that he would transfer the funds to a separate platform known as onechainnm(dot)com. Inadvertently, the victim revealed to Martin that they had approximately $500,000 in their bank account. According to the affidavit, the victim then transferred $384,4133 to several unhosted wallets, believing they were associated with the platform Martin had recommended.
The Agency Pursues Civil Forfeiture
The victim stated that they never met in person, as Martin consistently provided plausible excuses, often citing the demands of his work. On one occasion, the DOJ noted that Martin claimed he needed to travel to Florida for a presentation, preventing them from meeting. However, in March 2025, the investment platform was compelled to change its name to onechainiy(dot)com. Subsequently, the victim experienced restrictions on their Coinbase accounts due to “sending suspicious transfers.”
Following this, individuals claiming to be customer service representatives from the investment platform allegedly provided the victim with a method to bypass Coinbase restrictions and continue investing on the platform by wiring money directly from their bank account to account numbers they supplied. These customer service representatives assured the victim that she could continue investing, which led her to send an additional $112,253 over the following few days, around the end of March 2025.
In April, the purported customer service agents informed the victim that she owed $200,000 in IRS taxes. This demand raised the victim’s suspicions, prompting her to cease all further financial transactions. In total, the victim reported transferring over $500,000 to the platform, which represented a significant portion of her savings. The cryptocurrency account linked to this scheme was seized last June. The DOJ is now seeking to seize and recover a substantial portion of these funds, as the agency has the authority to seize assets or earnings determined to be connected to criminal activities.