Police in Greater Manchester have helped to return more than £4m to the victims of an international crypto scam after specialist officers were sent to track down two suspects. Several people, duped into thinking they were making investments, lost money after following advice from a company that disappeared with their cash.
Officers arrested a 25-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man on suspicion of fraud and money laundering offenses after receiving intelligence that suspects linked to the scam were in the city.
So far, 150 victims have come forward to request the return of their assets: 23 of whom have been validated and reimbursed.
A USB stick containing about £7m worth of stolen Ethereum, the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency after BitCoin, was seized, and a further £9m in cryptocurrency was located in an “online safe” a few days later, the U.K.’s National Crime Agency confirmed today.
Detective Chief Inspection Joe Harrop urged anyone who has been targeted to come forth. Trading digital currency is complicated and dangerous. “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is,” he said.