Basri Caneri 
A fraud ring operating in the Kent region of the UK ensnared nine people by faking police reports and posing as crypto wallet providers. After accessing the victims’ personal information through a data leak, the fraudsters used this information to steal $1.2 million in crypto assets.
Scammers’ Scheme: Fake Police Investigations and Lie about Wallet Security
Using personal information obtained from the data leak, the fraudsters created fake reports, claiming to be issued on behalf of Action Fraud, the UK’s official fraud reporting center.
Victims received a phone call from the scammers, who identified themselves as police officers, informing them that they had been implicated in an investigation into their crypto assets. In this first call, victims were told they would receive a security call from their “crypto wallet provider” shortly.
In the second phase, the scammers called again posing as a “security official” and told the victims that their crypto wallets were at risk of being compromised. Panicked victims were convinced to share their seed phrases (private access keys) to keep their wallets safe.
With this information in hand, the scammers created the wallets from scratch and transferred all the assets in them to other addresses.
Warning from Authorities: Don’t Fall for Emergency Pressure!
Kent Police have urged citizens to be wary of emergency scenarios driven by false authority figures. Detective Sergeant Darryll Paulson said fraudsters are using psychological manipulation techniques to panic their victims:
“Scammers force their victims to act quickly, preventing them from thinking. Scenarios like ‘your money will be stolen if you don’t take immediate action’ are one of the most common scam tactics.”
Authorities emphasized that victims of fraud should report cases to the police without embarrassment. “A moment of carelessness can happen to anyone. But reporting such incidents to the authorities can prevent others from being harmed,” Paulson said.
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