Many New Yorkers who were told they landed a new dream job are actually being robbed “of their hard-earned money.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James is trying to recover $2.2 million worth of cryptocurrency held in digital wallets and stolen from New Yorkers and victims across the country in a remote job scam.

Remote Job Scam Hits New York

“Scammers sent text messages to New Yorkers promising them good-paying, flexible jobs only to trick them into purchasing cryptocurrency and then stealing it from them,” James stated. “Deceiving New Yorkers looking to take on remote work and earn money to support their families is cruel and unacceptable.”

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According to an investigation by the Office of the Attorney Genera, with the U.S. Secret Service and the Queens County District Attorney’s Office, scammers have been sending New Yorkers texts offering fake remote jobs. However it’s actually a scam to entice unsuspecting people to purchase and deposit stablecoins, a type of cryptocurrency, into those scammers’ digital wallets.

Below are some examples of this scam.

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James filed a lawsuit in hopes of getting New Yorkers their money back. The lawsuit seeks to recover the frozen cryptocurrency for defrauded victims and requires the scammers to pay penalties, restitution, and damages.

The lawsuit also aims to permanently stop the scammers from advertising or sending unsolicited text messages in New York.

More Victims Possible

Officials are worried there are more victims living in New York.

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“The cryptocurrency that has been frozen thanks to my office will be available to help New Yorkers defrauded by this scam. I urge all New Yorkers to be cautious of text messages from unknown senders claiming to offer jobs or other opportunities, and to report any scams to my office,” James adds.

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