This is the moment a fraudster attempted to steal thousands of pounds worth of cryptocurrency from an unsuspecting victim while receiving instructions from a co-conspirator on Snapchat.
Anthony Ikenwe, 29, Hamza Bashir, 23, and Kevin Nwamma, 25, called their victims while posing as police officers, falsely claiming their cryptocurrency was at risk and urging them to take immediate action.
After obtaining their details from the dark web, the trio tricked victims into revealing account information or transferring their digital assets to accounts they believed had been set up by police for protection — but which were actually controlled by the fraudsters.
Almost £5 million worth of cryptocurrency was stolen from eight known victims, but detectives believe the number of people affected may be far higher.
Police say the trio used the stolen funds to fund lavish lifestyles, including taking multiple holidays a year, despite one of the men having a recorded income of just £444.
CCTV footage showed the fraudsters laughing as they spent their victims’ money on luxury purchases at Harrods. Other images showed them posing in expensive cars, showing off designer watches and flaunting large amounts of cash.
In one shocking video, believed to have been recorded by one of the fraudsters, he can be heard speaking to a victim on a scam call as he attempted to obtain the password to their cryptocurrency account.
At the same time, he was messaging one of his co-conspirators on Snapchat for instructions.
One message he received read: “Tell him to try with old pass.”
Ikenwe, Bashir and Nwamma were jailed for a combined total of 28 years and nine months at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday after being convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering.
The sentences come as detectives from the Met Police urge the public to remain vigilant when receiving unexpected calls about their finances.
Officers are urging people to hang up and contact their bank or account provider directly before sharing any personal or financial details.
Detective Inspector Geoff Donoghue, from the Metropolitan Police’s Cryptocurrency Team, said: “This was a highly complex investigation into a group of calculated manipulators who exploited victims’ trust by pretending to be police officers.
“The Met’s Cryptocurrency Team painstakingly traced millions of pounds, combining a wide range of investigative techniques to identify those responsible and dismantle a significant criminal network.
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“Fraud is far from a victimless crime. Many of those targeted suffered devastating financial losses.
“Criminals cannot rely on sophisticated technology to hide their crimes. The Met Police remains committed to pursuing them and bringing them to justice.”
Cryptocurrency is a decentralised digital currency designed to be exchanged through a computer network. Unlike physical bank notes or coins, transactions exist solely as virtual entries.
Detectives say the trio would first gain their victims’ trust before directing them to fake websites designed to look identical to legitimate platforms.
The sites allowed them to capture passwords and gain access to cryptocurrency accounts.
To make the scam appear more convincing, they also posed as employees from cryptocurrency companies or introduced fake third-party technical support contacts, falsely reassuring victims that the activity was genuine.
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Detectives uncovered the scam after victims came forward to report the fraud in January 2025.
An investigation was launched immediately, with detectives using a data-driven approach to piece together the full extent of the fraud.
Officers analysed a range of evidence, including blockchain transactions, communications, financial records, cryptocurrency exchange records and internet service provider data.
By analysing aliases, telephone numbers, websites, cryptocurrency wallets and spending patterns, detectives were able to link offences that initially appeared unrelated.
Their investigation uncovered an organised criminal network operating across multiple platforms and jurisdictions.
Anthony Ikenwe of East Tilbury was sentenced to six years for conspiracy to commit fraud and five years for money laundering, to run concurrently.
Hamza Bashir of Wimbledon was sentenced to three years nine months for conspiracy to commit fraud and three years for money laundering, to run concurrently.
Kevin Nwamma of Watford was sentenced to six years for conspiracy to commit fraud and five years for money laundering, to run concurrently.
