2 Nigerians, one other jailed in UK after stealing almost £5m in police impersonation scam

Three men, including two Nigerians, have been sentenced to a combined 28 years and nine months in prison for stealing nearly £5 million in cryptocurrency from victims through an elaborate fraud scheme.

Anthony Ikenwe, 29, Hamza Bashir, 23, and Kevin Nwamma, 25, were convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering and sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday.

The trio reportedly posed as police officers and contacted victims, falsely claiming their cryptocurrency accounts had been compromised.

They then pressured them into sharing sensitive account details or transferring their digital assets to accounts they were told had been created for their protection.

However, the accounts were controlled by the fraudsters.

The criminals allegedly obtained information about their victims from the dark web and used fake websites designed to resemble legitimate cryptocurrency platforms to steal passwords and gain access to accounts.

They also posed as cryptocurrency company employees and created fake technical support contacts to make the scam appear legitimate.

A video recovered by detectives showed one of the fraudsters speaking to a victim during a scam call while simultaneously receiving instructions from a co-conspirator on Snapchat.

One message sent to him read: “Tell him to try with old pass.”

Police said the fraudsters used the proceeds to fund lavish lifestyles, including luxury holidays, designer watches, expensive cars and shopping trips at Harrods.

Although eight victims are known to have lost almost £5 million in cryptocurrency, detectives believe the true number of people affected could be considerably higher.

The investigation began in January 2025 after victims reported the fraud to police.

Detectives examined blockchain transactions, communications, financial records, cryptocurrency exchange data and internet service provider records. They also analysed aliases, telephone numbers, websites, cryptocurrency wallets and spending patterns to connect offences that had initially appeared unrelated.

The investigation ultimately uncovered an organised criminal network operating across multiple platforms and jurisdictions.

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.

“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.”

Ikenwe, of East Tilbury, was sentenced to six years for conspiracy to commit fraud and five years for money laundering, with the sentences running concurrently.

Bashir, of Wimbledon, received three years and nine months for conspiracy to commit fraud and three years for money laundering, also to run concurrently.

Nwamma, of Watford, was sentenced to six years for conspiracy to commit fraud and five years for money laundering, with the sentences running concurrently.

Police have urged the public to be cautious when receiving unexpected calls about their finances and advised people to end such calls and contact their bank or account provider directly before sharing personal or financial information.

Vanguard News