According to the South China Morning post, Hong Kong police have launched a massive manhunt for a gang that made away with 3.5 million Hong Kong dollars ($450,000) from a woman in the Hong Kong.
The gang made away with the valuable crypto assets after they reportedly posed as traders only for them to defraud the woman and make away with her crypto holdings. A Hong Kong police spokesperson revealed that the criminals had sought to establish trust with the victim by completing several small transactions with her before the big heist. An in-depth look into the lady’s crypto transfer dealings had shown previous deals with the attackers ranging between $70,000 to $90,000.
BTC holdings seized at knife point
The robbery took place in the victim’s office when members of the gang rushed to the scene and as soon as one of their colleagues received the Tether tokens in exchange for the $450,000 payment. The lady was robbed at knife point with the criminals taking away the money as well as her iPhone.
The report said that the victim used her other phone to contact her husband who went on raise an alarm with the local police. The police said that the victim’s uncle who was around the area at the time of the crime had seen four men fleeing the scene as she raised the alarm. Despite being shaken up and without crypto holdings worth $450,000, the lady came out of the situation unhurt which is unlike most people who have been in that situation.
Crypto related crimes continue to be an issue
Past crypto related crimes saw a Bitcoin millionaire from Norway jumping from his second-floor balcony to escape armed burglars. Another crypto crime in Singapore last year saw a heavy crypto investor kidnapped and tortured for a ransom of $740,000 in BTC. Hong Kong is reportedly a known hotspot for crypto related crimes. Last year alone saw 242 robbery cases related to crypto according to local police which is a 103% increase from the figure recorded the previous year. As crypto prices continue to be on a tear, it is likely that more related crimes will be reported.
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