Fraudsters exploited a personal data leak of Kent (UK) residents to steal approximately $1.2 million in cryptocurrency from nine individuals, as reported by local police.
According to the warning, the perpetrators used personal information to create fake crime reports. After preparing the documents, the scammers contacted the victims, posing as law enforcement officers, and warned them of an impending investigation.
Subsequently, the “police officer” instructed them to await a follow-up call from the “wallet owner.”
A “customer support representative” then contacted all the victims, extracting their personal seed phrases. This allowed the scammers to gain control over the victims’ digital assets.
“Using this information, the fraudsters were able to restore the wallet, steal the funds, and transfer them in a way that made recovery impossible,” the police statement said.
Detective Sergeant Darryl Paulson urged people not to disclose any personal information to unknown callers and to report any fraud attempts immediately.
In February, Binance CEO Richard Teng reported a new seed phrase scam. According to him, fraudsters send fake notifications about wallet compromise and offer to “secure” the funds by providing data from an address they control.