In the U.S. state of North Carolina, law enforcement officers managed to seize stolen bitcoins totaling about $450 thousand from telephone scammers. As reported by the head of the District Attorney's Office Denna King, the stolen BTC previously belonged to a simple American pensioner.

In a statement released by the prosecutor indicated that the criminals established a connection with the elderly resident of Asheville back in August last year. The perpetrators identified themselves as representatives of the regulatory agency and said that the pensioner's savings could be confiscated because of suspected ties to the legalization of criminal proceeds, including the sale of drugs. The victim was then instructed to transfer his savings to a supposedly government account, where the funds would be protected.

The unsuspecting man followed the scammers' instructions and exchanged more than half a million dollars for a dozen bitcoins. The pensioner then sent the coins to the address specified by the criminals.

This transaction within the Coinbase platform was deemed suspicious by exchange specialists. Information about it was immediately transferred to the FBI. As a result of the investigation, the criminals' account was frozen and the funds were seized. The state prosecutor's office notified the public that the elderly American would soon get his money back.