Nearly four years after a 70-year-old woman from Pleasant Hill lost $350,000 in a cryptocurrency scam, police have recovered the majority of the stolen money. The victim reported the fraud in March 2022, and detectives tracked the funds with help from federal authorities. The money was returned to her and her family on December 31.
In March 2022, a 70-year-old resident of Pleasant Hill, California, contacted the local police department after falling victim to a cryptocurrency investment scam. An unknown individual, posing as a male, had approached her online and persuaded her to invest her life savings, resulting in a loss of $350,000.
Detective Steven Vuong of the Pleasant Hill Police Department led the investigation, focusing on tracing the cryptocurrency transactions. With assistance from the United States Secret Service, he identified the majority of the funds in a digital wallet that remained inactive for over three years. The wallet showed activity in September 2025, allowing authorities to freeze and seize the assets.
"This is an excellent example of good policework yielding a very positive outcome," said Pleasant Hill Police Chief Scott Vermillion in a statement. "We are happy to be able to return these funds to the victim, and I congratulate Detective Vuong on the outstanding work he put into this case."
On December 31, the recovered funds were transferred back to the victim and her family. While details about the suspect remain unavailable, the case highlights the challenges of crypto-related fraud, particularly targeting elderly individuals. The Pleasant Hill Police Department encourages anyone who suspects they have been scammed to call 925-288-4600 for assistance.
This recovery underscores the potential for law enforcement to retrieve digital assets in fraud cases, offering hope to victims of similar schemes.
