UK Fake Officer Scam Exposes $2.8 Million Bitcoin Incident

According to reports from the North Wales police, a victim was tricked into entering their wallet recovery phrase due to a social engineering attack, resulting in a loss of approximately $2.8 million (around €2.1 million) in Bitcoin. The scammer posed as a senior law enforcement officer from the UK, falsely claiming that the victim's identity information appeared on the phone of a detained suspect and demanded that they 'protect' their assets through a counterfeit website. After entering the recovery phrase, the funds were stolen within minutes. The police remind the public that law enforcement officers will not contact individuals to discuss cryptocurrency holdings or ask for recovery phrases; anyone receiving similar calls should hang up immediately and call the non-emergency number 101 for verification. Blockchain security company TRM Labs pointed out that in the first half of 2025, leaks of private keys and recovery phrases accounted for over 80% of stolen cryptocurrency assets. Additionally, Europe is facing a surge in physical attacks targeting cryptocurrency assets, with France reporting at least 10 incidents of 'snatch-and-grab' attacks, including attempted kidnappings and cryptocurrency ransom cases.