By George Omagbemi Sylvester
Two Nigerians and a third accomplice have been sentenced to a combined 28 years and nine months’ imprisonment in the United Kingdom for orchestrating a sophisticated cryptocurrency fraud that stole nearly £5 million (about ₦7.4 billion) from victims by impersonating police officers and financial investigators.
The convicts—Anthony Ikenwe (29), Hamza Bashir (23) and Kevin Nwamma (25)—were sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Friday, July 17, 2026, after being found guilty of conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors told the court that the trio used fake police websites and impersonation tactics to deceive victims into transferring cryptocurrency to wallets under their control.
Investigators revealed that the fraudsters contacted victims while posing as police officers investigating alleged security breaches, convincing them to move their digital assets into what they claimed were “safe” cryptocurrency wallets. Instead, the funds were diverted to wallets controlled by the criminal network, resulting in losses of almost £5 million from eight victims.
UK authorities described the case as one of the country’s most significant cryptocurrency fraud prosecutions and reaffirmed their commitment to tackling cyber-enabled financial crime through international cooperation.
They also urged the public to verify the identity of anyone requesting financial transfers and warned that legitimate law enforcement agencies do not ask individuals to move funds into private cryptocurrency wallets.
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