An American woman turned out to be the "voice" of scammers: a $5 million cryptocurrency theft uncovered
Another loud scandal involving social engineering has erupted in the cryptocurrency space. Analyst ZachXBT has identified U.S. citizen Tiffany Milanovich as a key member of a criminal group that stole over $5 million from digital asset holders. This story is not just another case of fraud, but an indication of how sophisticatedly attackers exploit users' trust in technical support.
The "support" scheme that empties wallets
According to the investigation, Milanovich played the role of a "call operator." She called victims, posing as a support staff member of popular crypto services, and convinced them to hand over control of their funds. After successfully draining accounts, she not only did not hide, but also recorded videos mocking the victims, which indicates her complete confidence in impunity.
The criminal group operated in a coordinated manner. Milanovich pretended to work in real support for hardware wallets and centralized exchanges. The infrastructure for phishing sites was provided to her by accomplices under the pseudonyms "bled" and "harm." In June 2026, one of the victims lost $1.2 million in BTC and ETH after trusting fraudsters who withdrew funds from her Trezor. The attack began with a fake email from BitcoinIRA, signed with the name Patricia Massie. Notably, most of the stolen funds remain untouched and are still on-chain — likely, the criminals are waiting for the right moment to launder them.
In October 2025, another victim lost $500,000 in bitcoins when the group gained access to her Coinbase account. According to the analyst, Milanovich even complained about a "small share" at the time and published screenshots of the withdrawals, boasting to her accomplices.
Spending and connections to other criminals
Milanovich was not known for modesty. On social media, she openly showed how she spent the stolen money: luxury purchases and casino bets. Moreover, she edited "boastful" videos in such a way that the amounts of the thefts appeared even larger than they actually were. This is a psychological game aimed at intimidation and self-affirmation.
The investigation also links Milanovich to John "Lick" Dagita. In January, I already pointed out his involvement in the theft of cryptocurrency seized by U.S. authorities, and in March he was detained in Saint Martin. This chain of events demonstrates that crypto crime is becoming increasingly organized and international.
My view on the situation: This case is a clear confirmation of a troubling trend. The number of impersonation schemes in the crypto sector grew by almost 1400% over the past year, with losses exceeding $2.9 billion. Users need to be critical of any incoming calls and messages, even if they look official. No self-respecting exchange or wallet will ever ask you to hand over control of your funds or disclose your seed phrase. Vigilance is the only truly reliable defense.