US seizes $1.2B tied to Binance hack and disrupts North Korean deepfake call scam

US authorities have moved to seize $1.2 billion linked to the Binance hack, and they say North Korea's TraderTraitor group carried out the theft. According to Decrypt, The Block and CoinDesk, the Department of Justice received court approval for the seizure. In the same action, the DOJ moved against a scheme it calls FaceStealer, which it ties to North Korean hackers. Officials say that scheme took up to $400 million in crypto.

FaceStealer worked through video calls. The operators used recorded footage and AI deepfakes that imitated people the victims already knew. During the call, targets were tricked into installing malware. The targets were crypto workers. Federal authorities say they have seized servers and other tools the scheme relied on. The reports do not say how many people were hit or how the attackers first reached them.

Several points are still open. The reports do not say whether the seized funds will go back to Binance or its users, or when the court case will end. The $400 million figure is an upper limit, so the final loss could be smaller. Anyone who handles crypto should treat unexpected video calls with care, even when the face on screen looks familiar.