Canadian police are issuing a warning to high-value crypto investors, stating thieves are breaking into homes to forcibly steal digital assets.
Police departments in Richmond and Delta, both south of Vancouver, have issued statements warning of a series of break-and-enter incidents, which appear to be linked by a noticeable modus operandi (MO).
According to law enforcement agencies, the suspects have been gaining access to crypto investors’ homes by posing as delivery people or some sort of person of authority. Once inside the home, the suspects forcibly obtain information that gives access to the homeowner’s cryptocurrency accounts, presumably private keys or seed phrases.
The police say that the suspects are well aware that their targets have large cryptocurrency holdings. They also say that there are probably more robberies related to the scheme but not all victims have come forward.
Says Staff Sergeant Jill Long of Delta Police Investigative Services.
“The suspects appear to know the victims are heavily invested in cryptocurrency, know where they live, and are robbing them in their own homes…
If you or someone you know has been victimized by one of these robberies, please call the police… You may have important information that can help our investigators.”
There has only been one arrest in relation to the series of thefts, according to an announcement from the Delta Police.
Don't Miss a Beat – Subscribe to get email alerts delivered directly to your inboxFeatured Image: Shutterstock/Sergey Nivens/Vladimir Sazonov