After romance scam Zurich cantonal police seize crypto money
The Zurich authorities have secured digital assets worth over 800,000 francs. A victim of romance fraud got all the money back.
26.05.2026, 10:55
26.05.2026, 11:04
SDA
Zurich prosecutors have blocked a crypto account on a trading platform in the Seychelles, as the cantonal police and the public prosecutor's office announced on Tuesday. This so-called wallet contained assets totaling over 800,000 Swiss francs, which were suspected to have come from criminal sources.
The investigation was triggered by a complaint from a woman from the Winterthur district in January 2025, who had been the victim of a so-called romance scam. Unknown perpetrators had swindled the victim out of almost 200,000 francs.
Trail leads to the Seychelles
Specialists from the cantonal police were able to digitally trace the path of the stolen money. The trail finally led to the wallet in question on the archipelago in the Indian Ocean. In close cooperation with the public prosecutor's office, the account was frozen in November 2025.
The authorities have since been able to transfer the digital money to their own wallet and confiscate it. Thanks to this successful investigation, the public prosecutor's office repaid the defrauded woman around CHF 200,000 in full.
