Scammer Poses as UK Police, Steals $2.8M in Bitcoin From Hardware Wallet

Police in Wales are investigating a “staggering” $2.8 million (£2.1 million) Bitcoin theft, in which a scammer posed as a senior detective to win the victim’s confidence.

In a statement, North Wales Police said the case “highlights a disturbing new trend targeting long-term crypto holders who use cold storage devices.”

At this stage, it is believed the victim’s details may have been compromised in a data breach, allowing the “highly targeted and advanced scam” to take place.

The victim was called by a “senior U.K. law enforcement officer” who claimed their personal details had been found on the phone of someone recently arrested.

Fear and urgency tactics were used to encourage the victim to “secure their assets” by logging into their cold storage device using a phishing link.

Believing they were following police instructions, they then entered their seed phrase into this “sophisticated but fake” website.

It took a matter of moments for the assets to be withdrawn, and North Wales Police’s Cyber Crime Team are now trying to track the funds down.

In a statement on Facebook, the force stressed that its detectives would never call members of the public to discuss their crypto holdings or cold storage device—describing this as a “big red flag.”

Anyone contacted by someone claiming to be an officer is urged to hang up and call the police directly to verify whether the contact is genuine.

The post went on to stress that legitimate companies and law enforcement officials would never ask for a seed phrase, either.

Scam tactics evolving

North Wales Police said the case illustrates that scammers are constantly evolving their tactics—and even experienced investors must remain vigilant.

“They are not just targeting new investors; they are crafting sophisticated social engineering schemes to trick even the most diligent holders,” the post concluded.

Cybercriminals around the world are using increasingly sophisticated tactics to target crypto holders. Earlier this month, the FBI warned that scammers are masquerading as law firms to target victims of previous crypto thefts, and advised the public to adopt a “zero trust model.”

Last year, British police forces were given advanced powers to seize crypto from criminals, but recovering these funds is far from guaranteed.

Earlier this month, Lancashire Constabulary revealed that it had managed to recoup funds stolen in December 2017 and converted into Bitcoin by the thieves. The victim was later made whole, with the force receiving a $665,000 windfall because the criminals’ Bitcoin holdings had grown in value.