Three men in the UK have been sentenced to prison for running a cryptocurrency fraud scheme that netted over £4 million by impersonating police officers and building fake law enforcement websites. The Metropolitan Police’s Cryptocurrency Team traced the funds using blockchain analysis after victims reported the scam in January 2025.
Anthony Ikenwe, 29, and Kevin Nwamma, 25, each received 6-year sentences for conspiracy to defraud alongside concurrent 5-year terms for money laundering. Hamza Bashir, 23, got 3 years and 9 months for conspiracy to defraud with a concurrent 3-year money laundering sentence.
The playbook: pretend to protect, then steal everything
The three men posed as police officers supposedly safeguarding victims’ digital assets, then convinced at least eight people to transfer their crypto holdings to fraudulent accounts. The defendants built fake police websites to add a veneer of legitimacy to their operation. Victims, believing they were cooperating with law enforcement to protect their funds, willingly handed over access.
The trio’s spending habits told a story their tax returns didn’t. Trips to Thailand, Japan, the Maldives, and the Seychelles. Shopping sprees at Harrods and Hermès. One defendant declared an annual income of just £444.
