Members of the U.S. Secret Service’s San Francisco Field Office, together with the Bay Area Regional Enforcement Allied Computer Team (REACT), participated in an Ask Me Anything (AMA) on the /r/CryptoCurrency subreddit on May 15, 2023. The session was framed as an outreach and education effort focused on illicit cryptocurrency activity, including topics such as fraud, money laundering, and “pig butchering” investment scams, and was hosted on one of Reddit’s largest crypto forums. REACT, a multi‑jurisdictional task force combining local, state and federal law‑enforcement resources to tackle high‑tech crime, joined the Secret Service’s dedicated digital asset squad to answer community questions in real time. During the AMA, agents explained how they investigate blockchain-based crimes, emphasizing that the transparency and immutability of public ledgers can aid in tracing stolen funds despite the cross‑border nature of many cases. They discussed recent work recovering millions of dollars from pig‑butchering scams, offered security advice such as using hardware wallets and avoiding SMS-based two‑factor authentication, and noted that more money laundering still occurs in cash than in crypto. The Secret Service also highlighted broader efforts like its Cryptocurrency Awareness Hub and acknowledged that some team members hold crypto themselves to better understand how networks function, underscoring a strategy of engaging directly with crypto communities rather than treating the sector purely as an enforcement target.

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