DOJ charges six over NFT dating scam wallet drains
On 27 October 2026 the US Attorney's Office in Washington, DC announced charges against six Africa-based people accused of running a dating and NFT investment scam from compounds in Madagascar. The FBI says it linked about 74 crypto wallets to about 800 US victims who reported losses.
On 27 October 2026 the US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia announced charges against six Africa-based people over a dating and NFT investment scam run from compounds in Madagascar. The FBI says it found about 74 crypto wallets tied to about 800 US victims who reported losses. The alleged leader, Chui Kok Wa, is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The charges are allegations and have not been proven in court.
What the document says
The release, issued by the office's Scam Center Strike Force, describes scammers who posed as women on dating websites, built a relationship, and then pointed victims to NFT investment sites. According to prosecutors, the scammers then took money out of the connected wallets without the victims knowing.
The release's own count of the wallets and victims tied to the scheme.Graphic: CryptoGuardz, from the sources cited below, CC BY 4.0BREAKING: US Attorney Jeanine Pirro Announces Charges For 6 Africa-Based ScammersVideo by Forbes Breaking News on YouTube. Watch on YouTubeForbes Breaking News footage of US Attorney Jeanine Pirro announcing the charges against the six people this brief covers.
FBI investigators identified approximately 74 cryptocurrency wallets associated with approximately 800 victims
US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, press release, retrieved 2026-10-29
The release says the group, which prosecutors allege has ties to Malaysia and China, opened the Madagascar compounds in early 2025, likely after moving from Cambodia following law enforcement action there. Stolen funds allegedly went to crypto accounts linked to China-based actors. Prosecutors say phones seized from Wa held work contracts with night shifts matching US daytime hours, bonuses tied to stolen money and scripts for talking to victims. One script, as quoted in the release, called the scheme "an emotional scam, using the [victim's] feelings for us to get him to invest."
Affidavits supporting the arrest of the six were unsealed on 27 October. The case is handled by prosecutors from the District of Alaska with the FBI's Honolulu field office. The release names only Wa among the six. US Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro called on Madagascar to extradite the six.
What it changes for users
According to the release, victims were asked to connect their own wallets to a website, and the money left those wallets afterwards. The release does not say which wallet apps were used or how the withdrawals were authorised, so the exact method is not disclosed.
Three details from the release:
The approach started on dating sites, not on crypto platforms.
The investment was presented as NFTs.
A prior warrant had already seized the scheme's websites, and that warrant was unsealed with the charges.
The release does not say whether any funds will be returned to victims.
Background
The Strike Force was set up in November 2025 to target Southeast Asian scam compounds. In its 27 October release it says that over the past year it restrained more than $1 billion in cryptocurrency and seized 700 fraudulent crypto investment websites. The pattern of a stranger building trust before pushing an investment is the one described in our pig butchering scam guide, and what a seed phrase is covers what a wallet connection can and cannot reach.
The charges came less than a year after the Strike Force was created.Graphic: CryptoGuardz, from the sources cited below, CC BY 4.0
Quick answers
Who was charged in the Madagascar NFT scam?
Six Africa-based people, according to the US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia. Only the alleged leader, Chui Kok Wa, is named; he is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
How many victims were there?
The FBI linked about 74 crypto wallets to about 800 US victims who reported losses. The release does not give a total dollar amount.
Where can victims report a crypto scam?
In the US, the FBI takes reports at ic3.gov. Our scam recovery page covers paid "recovery" offers that follow a scam.
Compiled by the CryptoGuardz register team from the sources listed above. Research and drafting are AI-assisted and reviewed by a named editor before publication. Nothing here is a recommendation to gamble. If a figure or a reading is wrong, tell us and the correction is logged in public.
