The Welsh police are investigating a theft in which the scammer posed as a senior UK police officer and stole Bitcoin (BTC) worth approximately $2.8 million. The cyber team of the North Wales police stated that this theft was part of an ongoing trend where scammers target cold wallets of long-term cryptocurrency holders.
As per a Facebook post from NWP Cyber Crime Department, the scammer won the confidence of the victim by claiming that his details had been found on the phone of someone who was recently arrested and asked the victim to secure their funds via a phishing link. After gaining total control of the wallet, the scammer withdrew $2.8 million worth of BTC immediately.
“Scammers are constantly evolving their tactics,” the North Wales police said, “They are not just targeting new investors; they are crafting sophisticated social engineering schemes to trick even the most diligent holders.”
The police stated that through fear and urgency tactics used by most digital thieves, the victim was compelled to enter their seed phrase, which resulted in the diversion of funds to a sophisticated but fraudulent site. The police are now trying to trace and recover the funds, meanwhile recommending the masses to stay alert.
Police Share Advisories for Business and People
With the number of scams on the rise globally, authorities worldwide have been sharing advisories. Earlier this year, the UK police urged the public to be more vigilant against cyber crimes. They stated, “Police will NEVER call you unexpectedly to discuss your crypto assets or ask you to take action on your cold storage device. This is a big red flag.”
Moreover, earlier this month, the FBI also warned that the scammers are impersonating law agencies to contact victims of previous crypto scams and asked the public to report the scams at the earliest.
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