WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans were duped out of more than $5.6 billion last year through fraud schemes involving cryptocurrency, the FBI said in a report released Monday that shows a 45% jump in losses from 2022.
The FBI received nearly 70,000 complaints in 2023 by victims of financial fraud involving bitcoin, ether and other cryptocurrencies, according to the FBI. The most rampant scheme was investment fraud, which accounted for $3.96 billion of the losses.
“The decentralized nature of cryptocurrency, the speed of irreversible transactions, and the ability to transfer value around the world make cryptocurrency an attractive vehicle for criminals, while creating challenges to recover stolen funds,” wrote Michael Nordwall, assistant director of the FBI's criminal investigative division.
Scammers will often make contact through dating apps or social media to build trust over several weeks or months before suggesting cryptocurrency investing, the FBI said. Once the relationship is built, they convince the targets to use fake websites or apps to invest their money, sometimes even allowing the victims to withdraw small amounts of money early on to make it seem legitimate.
In some cases, those victims are then targeted by bogus businesses claiming they will help the victim recover the cryptocurrency they lost, according to the FBI.
FBI officials say Americans of all ages can be a target of such scams, and should be extremely cautious when presented with investment opportunities from people they've never met in real life.
FILE - The seal on the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building is seen June 9, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — The longtime host of “The Late Show with David Letterman” found himself answering questions rather than asking them when a federal judge in New York City put the entertainer through an audition of sorts on Monday for a possible role as a juror in a criminal trial.
It was the serious setting of a criminal trial over a cryptocurrency fraud when Judge P. Kevin Castel confronted the famous bearded comedian, identified in court only as “Juror 16,” with questions just as he did three dozen other potential jurors to determine who would be on a panel of 12 jurors and four alternates.
The prospective jurors had already survived a general round of questioning in which individuals are dismissed for hardship reasons, such as medical issues or jobs from which they cannot be spared. The trial is expected to last less than two weeks.
When Letterman, who stepped down from his show in 2015, made it to what could be the final round for admittance on the jury, the judge lobbed a softball: “Where do you live?”
“Hartford,” Letterman responded, proving that he couldn't make it through a single word without delivering a joke.
“No, it's a joke,” Letterman quickly let the judge know. Hartford is in Connecticut, which would have disqualified him from the jury because it is outside the area where jurors are drawn from.
“Nice try,” the judge responded, adding, “You figured you would forgo Queens,” another location outside the area covered by the Southern District of New York. Queens is located in the Eastern District of New York.
After Letterman revealed his true area of residence — Westchester County — the pair began a volley of questions and answers totaling nearly three dozen exchanges.
Along the way, the judge, lawyers and three dozen or so prospective jurors learned a lot that the world already knows about Letterman. He was born in Indianapolis, obtained a degree from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, and has a 20-year-old son in college in Massachusetts.
Asked what he does for a living, Letterman said he was currently “working for a company called Netflix.”
“Spouse or significant other?” Castel asked.
“I've had both. Currently I just have the spouse,” Letterman responded.
Asked how he gets his news, Letterman gave a nod to the past, saying: “Every morning I used to pick up the paper off the front porch. Now, I turn on the computer and it's an aggregation of news sources from all over the United States and around the world.”
Asked what he likes to watch besides any Netflix programs he's involved with, Letterman said, “I like sports.”
“I'm happy football is here. I'm happy it's this time in the baseball season. I like motor sports. I like pretty much what most Americans watch on TV,” he said.
The judge asked him if he's an Indianapolis Colts football fan.
“Big Colts fan. 0 and 2, but still a fan,” he said, referring to the fact that the Colts have lost their first two games this season.
For hobbies, Letterman said he likes to fish, ski and be outdoors.
“Ever called as a juror?” the judge asked.
“Been called many times. Just couldn't make it happen,” Letterman answered.
“You know, this may be the charm,” Castel said, aware that Letterman had a 50-50 chance to make it onto the panel.
“It would be a pleasure,” Letterman said.
In the end, shortly before the jury was sworn in, Letterman was ejected when a prosecutor exercised what is known as a “strike,” which allows lawyers on either side to release a certain number of potential jurors from the panel for any reason at all. It was the third of four strikes exercised by prosecutors. No reason was given.
David Letterman arrives at federal court in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
David Letterman arrives at federal court in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
David Letterman arrives at federal court in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
David Letterman arrives at federal court in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
David Letterman arrives at federal court in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
