Six people arrested for alleged involvement in £22m crypto heist

Six people have been arrested on suspicion of being involved in a £22 million cryptocurrency heist, police from the UK and the Netherlands claim.

According to reports from MSN, five men and one woman have been arrested after search warrants were executed at homes in the South West of England, Amsterdam, and Rotterdam on Tuesday morning.

More than 4,000 victims are believed to have been affected by the £22 million crypto heist, according to a UK regional cybercrime unit.

The investigation reportedly relates to ‘typosquatting’. This is when an online cryptocurrency exchange is spoofed or recreated to mimic the real site and fool users into believing it’s the real thing. The attackers can then harvest users’ login details to enter their accounts and steal their funds.

Detective Inspector Louise Boyce said: “The investigation has grown from a single report of $17,000 worth of Bitcoin from a Wiltshire-based victim to a current estimate of more than 4,000 victims in at least 12 countries. We expect that number to grow.”

Reportedly, a large number of devices, equipment, and valuable assets have been seized by officers ready for examination.

The three men arrested in South West England are being held on suspicion of committing computer misuse and money laundering offences.

The suspects in the Netherlands – two men and one woman – have been arrested on suspicion of committing money laundering.

Police are urging anyone who suspects they have been duped in a cryptocurrency theft-related crime to contact Action Fraud.

Interested in reading more crypto crime-related stories? Discover more about the 18-year-old Japanese boy who was sent to the prosecutor’s office in connection with a crypto heist worth ¥15 million.