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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Technology
Rob Davies

‘Crypto muggings’: thieves in London target digital investors by taking phones

Representation of cryptocurrencies are seen in this illustration
Cryptocurrency transfers are irreversible, unlike a bank transfer. Photograph: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto/Rex/Shutterstock

Thieves are targeting digital currency investors on the street in a wave of “crypto muggings”, police have warned, with victims reporting that thousands of pounds have been stolen after their mobile phones were seized.

Anonymised crime reports provided to the Guardian by City of London police, as part of a freedom of information request, reveal criminals are combining physical muscle with digital knowhow to part people from their cryptocurrency.

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