Old school thieves are taking an interest in cryptocurrency as the Canadian Police Department recently issued a public warning about the ongoing trend of high net worth cryptocurrency investors getting robbed from their homes.
The public warning came after numerous cases of home invasions and burglaries of high-net-worth cryptocurrency investors were reported in the past year. Now, the public warning came as the police department believes it is necessary for public safety.
“It appears someone is targeting these victims with cryptocurrency, and we believe this public warning is necessary in the interest of public safety,” said Sergeant Gene Hsieh of the RCMP’s Richmond Major Crimes Unit.
However, the Canadian police did not provide any details about the thefts or share the amount of cryptocurrency stolen, as the investigation is still ongoing. However, the warning highlighted the presence of “significant amounts” of cryptocurrency.
Canadian police also stated that the thieves followed a certain pattern of operation: the suspects gained access to the victim’s home by pretending to be delivery people or people with authority, and once inside, they stole the victim’s encrypted wallet information.
“It appears that the suspects know the victims are heavily invested in cryptocurrency, know where they live, and robbed them from their homes,” said Sergeant Gil Long of Delta Police Investigative Services.
Canadian police have already made an arrest. However, the police are still reluctant to confirm whether all of these thefts are related. Law enforcement also believes that there are more victims of such thefts, but they have not registered any complaints.
As a precaution, cryptocurrency investors are advised not to flaunt their wealth or seek investment advice on social media or other public platforms. Also, people should not allow strangers or people making home deliveries, and they should confirm their identity or call for emergency help if suspected.
Richmond RCMP and Delta Police
For immediate release
Police have issued a warning to net worth cryptocurrency investors in the wake of the home invasion-style robberies.
Date: 2023-07-19
For the full press release, see below:https://t.co/27JLFKcV10#DeltaPolice#DeltaBCpic.twitter.com/7CqONzUdUl
Delta Police Department July 19, 2023
Old school thieves target cryptocurrency investors
Due to the digital nature of cryptocurrency, cyberattacks are rampant. However, physical thefts are also common. Earlier this year, an Israeli businessman was reported to have had his digital assets robbed at gunpoint in his home in Tel Aviv. He told the police that the thieves broke into his home, beat him mercilessly, and forced him to transfer his cryptocurrency holdings to their wallets.
Pavel Lerner, managing director of cryptocurrency exchange, EXMO, was infamously kidnapped in Kiev Ukraine in December 2017 and released after paying a ransom of $1 million in Bitcoin. Moreover, another New Jersey man was kidnapped at gunpoint and forced to give up the password of his crypto wallet containing $1.8 million in Ether. There are many cryptocurrency robberies globally.
Old school thieves are taking an interest in cryptocurrency as the Canadian Police Department recently issued a public warning about the ongoing trend of high net worth cryptocurrency investors getting robbed from their homes.
The public warning came after numerous cases of home invasions and burglaries of high-net-worth cryptocurrency investors were reported in the past year. Now, the public warning came as the police department believes it is necessary for public safety.
“It appears someone is targeting these victims with cryptocurrency, and we believe this public warning is necessary in the interest of public safety,” said Sergeant Gene Hsieh of the RCMP’s Richmond Major Crimes Unit.
However, the Canadian police did not provide any details about the thefts or share the amount of cryptocurrency stolen, as the investigation is still ongoing. However, the warning highlighted the presence of “significant amounts” of cryptocurrency.
Canadian police also stated that the thieves followed a certain pattern of operation: the suspects gained access to the victim’s home by pretending to be delivery people or people with authority, and once inside, they stole the victim’s encrypted wallet information.
“It appears that the suspects know the victims are heavily invested in cryptocurrency, know where they live, and robbed them from their homes,” said Sergeant Gil Long of Delta Police Investigative Services.
Canadian police have already made an arrest. However, the police are still reluctant to confirm whether all of these thefts are related. Law enforcement also believes that there are more victims of such thefts, but they have not registered any complaints.
As a precaution, cryptocurrency investors are advised not to flaunt their wealth or seek investment advice on social media or other public platforms. Also, people should not allow strangers or people making home deliveries, and they should confirm their identity or call for emergency help if suspected.
Richmond RCMP and Delta Police
For immediate release
Police have issued a warning to net worth cryptocurrency investors in the wake of the home invasion-style robberies.
Date: 2023-07-19
For the full press release, see below:https://t.co/27JLFKcV10#DeltaPolice#DeltaBCpic.twitter.com/7CqONzUdUl
Delta Police Department July 19, 2023
Old school thieves target cryptocurrency investors
Due to the digital nature of cryptocurrency, cyberattacks are rampant. However, physical thefts are also common. Earlier this year, an Israeli businessman was reported to have had his digital assets robbed at gunpoint in his home in Tel Aviv. He told the police that thieves broke into his house, beat him mercilessly, and forced him to transfer his cryptocurrency holdings to their wallets.
Pavel Lerner, managing director of cryptocurrency exchange, EXMO, was infamously kidnapped in Kiev Ukraine in December 2017 and released after paying a ransom of $1 million in Bitcoin. Moreover, another New Jersey man was kidnapped at gunpoint and forced to give up the password of his crypto wallet containing $1.8 million in Ether. There are many other crypto theft incidents globally.
