Fake Police Officers Jailed for £4m Crypto Scam Against Eight Victims

Three men have been jailed in the United Kingdom (UK) for defrauding eight victims of more than £4 million (N7.4 billion) in cryptocurrency, after posing as police officers to trick them into handing over their digital assets.

The Metropolitan Police said the trio ran a sophisticated fraud operation built around fake police websites and an intricate money laundering network used to steal and conceal victims' funds.

The convicted men were named as Anthony Ikenwe, 29, Hamza Bashir, 23, and Kevin Nwamma, 25.

Detectives said the men would telephone victims claiming to be police officers, falsely warning them that their cryptocurrency accounts had been compromised.

Victims were then persuaded to hand over account details or transfer their holdings into what they believed were secure police-controlled accounts.

In reality, police said, the funds were stolen and laundered almost immediately.

"The three men called their victims claiming to be police officers, told them their cryptocurrency was at risk and persuaded them to either provide account details or transfer the funds to what the victims believed were secure police accounts.

"In fact, the highly organised gang had designed convincing looking police websites, and the victim's cryptocurrency was immediately stolen and laundered through a complex financial network," the Metropolitan Police said.

Police disclosed that investigations began in January 2025 after several victims came forward.

Detectives drew on blockchain analysis, communications data, financial records, cryptocurrency exchange data and internet service provider information to piece together the operation.

They eventually linked what had appeared to be isolated fraud cases into a single organised network spanning multiple jurisdictions through shared aliases, phone numbers, fake websites, wallets and spending patterns.

Officers said the men funded lavish lifestyles from the stolen proceeds despite having little or no legitimate income, splashing out on luxury cars, designer clothing, Rolex watches and expensive holidays.

One of the defendants was found to have a recorded annual income of four hundred and forty four pounds (£444).

Detective Inspector Geoff Donoghue of the Met's Cryptocurrency Team said the case had been painstaking to unravel.

"This was a highly complex investigation into a group of calculated manipulators who exploited victims' trust by pretending to be police officers and spent other people's money to fund their extravagant lifestyles.

"The Met's Cryptocurrency Team painstakingly traced millions of pounds, combining a wide range of investigative techniques to dismantle a significant criminal network," he said.

He added that criminals could no longer assume digital assets were beyond the reach of investigators.

"Criminals should be under no illusion, policing is evolving alongside technology. We have the capabilities to trace and seize high-value assets, and we will do everything in our power to identify those responsible for these fraudulent crimes and bring them to justice," he said.

The three were sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday.

Ikenwe, of Bata Mews, East Tilbury, was given six years for conspiracy to commit fraud and five years for money laundering, the terms to run concurrently.

Nwamma, of Clarendon Road, Watford, received identical concurrent sentences.

Bashir, of Beverley Way, Wimbledon, was sentenced to three years and nine months for conspiracy to commit fraud and three years for money laundering, also concurrent.

All three were arrested following coordinated raids on 20 November 2025 across seven addresses in London and Essex, during which officers seized around 40 mobile phones alongside cryptocurrency assets, luxury goods and other devices.

Roughly one million pounds (£1m) directly linked to victims' stolen funds was recovered, while forensic examination of seized phones and computers yielded further evidence of the conspiracy.

Ikenwe and Nwamma pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy to defraud and money laundering, including four counts of converting criminal property.

Bashir initially contested the charges and stood trial, before changing his plea to guilty on the eighth day once prosecutors presented what police described as substantial evidence against him.

The investigation also traced more than £1 million in cryptocurrency to wallets controlled by Ikenwe, alongside a vehicle worth nearly sixty thousand pounds (£60,000) bought with cryptocurrency and roughly five hundred thousand pounds (£500,000) in cash held in a Dubai safety deposit box.

Investigators further uncovered luxury holidays to Thailand, Japan, Paris, Mykonos, the Maldives and the Seychelles, as well as regular spending at Harrods, Hermès and Louis Vuitton, with more than twenty six thousand pounds (£26,000) in luxury goods recovered during searches.

Proceeds were also traced to Nwamma through transfers from wallets holding stolen funds into bank accounts linked to his luxury chauffeur and transport business.

The Metropolitan Police said enquiries continue in partnership with UK and international agencies to identify further suspects and recover additional criminal assets on behalf of victims.