Scammer posing as police officer steals $2.8 million in Bitcoin

A scammer impersonating a UK law enforcement officer stole $2.8 million in Bitcoin from a North Wales resident. The perpetrator convinced the victim to enter their wallet seed phrase on a fake website designed to look legitimate.

North Wales Police cybercrime team opened an investigation into the theft and is working to trace the stolen funds. The incident occurred after the scammer called the victim while claiming to be a senior police officer.

The caller told the victim that police arrested someone and found the victim's identification documents on the arrested person's phone. The scammer then instructed the victim to “secure” their crypto by accessing their wallet through a provided link.

The link directed the victim to a convincing fake website where they entered their seed phrase. Once the victim provided the recovery phrase, the scammer gained access to the wallet and withdrew the entire $2.8 million balance.

Police said the victim was likely identified through a previous data breach, indicating the attack was targeted rather than random. The case demonstrates how criminals combine social engineering tactics with technical spoofing to trick users into voluntarily revealing their recovery phrases.

Investigators described the theft as part of a pattern targeting long-term crypto holders who store assets in cold storage. The force disclosed the incident this week after receiving reports from the victim and issuing online warnings.

The investigation remains active as police work to follow the blockchain trail of the stolen BTC. Officers urged anyone who suspects attempted impersonation to report it immediately to help prevent similar crimes.

The cybercrime team emphasized that legitimate police officers never call unexpectedly to discuss cryptocurrency holdings. Real officers will not instruct people to interact with hardware wallets over the phone and will never request seed phrases.

Authorities advised anyone receiving such contact to hang up immediately and verify independently through official channels before taking any action. The police warned that even experienced investors are being targeted with increasingly sophisticated scripts and polished fake domains.