That’s according to a report Saturday (Jan. 10) by CNBC, which focuses on efforts by police and lawmakers in the city of Spokane, where Detective Tim Schwering began noticing an increase in crypto crime in 2023.
“Cases started flowing my way where people were getting ripped off by cryptocurrency machines,” Schwering said. The money would find its way to China, Russia, Nigeria and other far-off outposts. “You couldn’t get to anyone or get the money back.”
He added that some people lost their life’s savings — one victim was robbed of $900,000 — with two of them taking their own lives. With law enforcement limited by the fact that…
Jan 12 2026
