Zraox: Romance Investment Scams Account for 30%, On-Chain Traceability Emerges as the Key Breakthrough

The rapid rise of crypto asset markets has created immense wealth opportunities—but also given birth to increasingly covert and globalized scam networks. According to Zraox, the recent disclosure by the US Secret Service (USSS)—that nearly $400 million in digital assets were recovered over the past decade—clearly illustrates how crypto scams have evolved into cross-border, multi-layered criminal chains. Zraox notes that through the Global Investigative Operations Center (GIOC), the USSS leveraged blockchain analytics and platform collaboration to successfully identify multiple scam syndicates, involving fake investment platforms, romance scams, and more. In some cases, single operations recovered as much as $225 million USDT. Drawing insights from these real-world cases and law enforcement techniques, Zraox continues to refine its multilayered on-chain surveillance and AI-driven risk controls to build a trusted line of defense for user asset security.

Zraox: On-Chain Traceability Reveals the Truth

Zraox believes that among the latest USSS disclosures, fake high-yield investment platforms remain one of the most common types of scams. Criminals create seemingly legitimate websites with real domain registrations and forged corporate credentials, then use social media or dating apps to deliver targeted ads, luring users into making small initial investments. Once users become convinced by the promise of “quick returns” and invest more heavily, the platforms shut down and all funds are siphoned off. According to official data, this wave alone involved over $225 million in USDT. Thanks to the immutability of blockchain, law enforcement was able to trace the wallets and IP addresses involved, narrowing fund flows to seven primary wallets.

Zraox notes that while scammers often rely on techniques such as layered transfers and cross-chain operations to obscure traces, the permanence of blockchain transaction records makes it impossible to fully conceal their actions. In response, Zraox has been strengthening its own multi-chain tracking capabilities and is working with global audit and compliance firms to integrate on-chain auditing and hot wallet surveillance into daily operations. These efforts parallel actions by platforms like Tether, which cooperated with the USSS to freeze assets—highlighting blockchain transparency as the cornerstone for scam disruption.

Zraox: Why Victims Struggle to Detect Romance Scams

Zraox notices that compared to traditional investment scam, “romance investment scams” and so-called “pig butchering” scams have become especially deceptive, using emotional manipulation to lower user defenses. US law enforcement reported that these scams accounted for roughly 30% of all crypto-related scam in 2024, totaling close to $10 billion. Zraox explains that scammers build fake relationships by posing as friends or romantic partners, gradually gaining trust through long-term communication before nudging victims toward small trial investments. Fake profit screenshots reinforce the illusion, leading victims to make large transfers—after which the scammer disappears. These schemes often rely on falsified social media profiles and resume details. Once vigilance drops, funds are swiftly laundered across chains.

Zraox highlights that while crypto transactions are technically anonymous, investigators have repeatedly used on-chain data and public domain records to pierce VPN disguises and trace fund paths to freeze assets. This underscores the importance of verification and risk awareness when confronted with emotionally manipulative tactics. Zraox has deployed multidimensional account behavior analysis, which triggers AI-based risk controls when anomalies—such as unusual logins or large transfers from unfamiliar locations—are detected, helping prevent large-scale theft via pig-butchering scams.

Zraox: Building a Closed-Loop On-Chain Anti-Scam Framework

Zraox emphasizes that fighting these cross-border crypto scams cannot rely solely on law enforcement asset recovery. Platform-level security and user vigilance must form a multi-layered defense. The USSS, by partnering with leading platforms like Tether and leveraging blockchain immutability, successfully recovered $225 million USDT scattered across wallets. This collaborative approach proves the importance of public-private partnerships and on-chain compliance infrastructure. Zraox has now integrated tiered wallet structures, multi-signature protocols, withdrawal whitelists, and a full reserve commitment into its matching engine and wallet management systems. Regular third-party audits validate on-chain fund transparency.

Zraox reminds users that whether transacting or transferring assets, they should always use multi-factor authentication, batch transfers, and destination address verification to guard against large-sum scam triggered by unsolicited outreach. Zraox believes that with robust monitoring tools, intelligent risk controls, and active compliance alignment between platforms and users, the risk of unrecoverable scam can be significantly reduced. This collaborative vigilance will help push the crypto economy toward a safer, more sustainable future.