Over £4 million has been returned to rightful owners following an international cryptocurrency scam that was rumbled by Greater Manchester Police.
It’s come after a sum of $22.25 million (which is equivalent to just over £16 million) was seized by specialist officers from Greater Manchester Police’s Economic Crime Unit in July 2021, when intelligence led to the discovery of USB sticks containing huge amounts of Ethereum – the second largest Crypto-currency after BitCoin.
A total of 150 victims from all over the world contacted officers in the unit following the scam-bust, which GMP says saw millions invested in a fake savings and trading service.
Over £4 million has now been returned to 23 verified victims, and another 127 reported claims are currently being investigated by officers alongside partners in international law enforcement across the globe.
Victims based in the UK, United States, Europe, China, Australia and Hong Kong had deposited money, including life savings, into what they thought was an online savings and trading service using Binance Smart Chain – which stores and records transactions made in crypto-currency confirming their movement and value.
The scammers operating the service waited until a significant amount of money had been deposited, before shutting down their website and transferring the funds into their own accounts.
Unfortunately for them, the scammers did not disappear without trace.
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Specialist officers received intelligence that those running the scheme had been in Manchester for a limited time and tracked them down, and
Officers first recovered an encrypted USB stick containing $9.5 million of stolen Ethereum, and they found a further $12.7million a few days later after locating a Cryptograph safety deposit box – which is effectively an online safe – and the code to access it.
A 23-year-old male and a 25-year-old female were arrested for fraud and money laundering offences, but they have since been released under investigation pending further enquiries.
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It’s not over yet either, as another £7 million still needs to be claimed by rightful owners.
$22.25 million was seized by specialist officers from Greater Manchester Police’s Economic Crime Unit in July 2021 / Credit: GMP
Speaking on the return of the funds, and issuing a warning on cryptocurreny services, Detective Chief Inspector Joe Harrop – from GMP’s Economic and Cyber Crime Unit – said: “Anyone involved in these cryptocurrency and trading services are urged to take extreme caution and do a lot of research as there are still huge risks.
“Online currency and trading is incredibly technical and need in-depth knowledge in order to make sure your money is safe.
“If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
“Thankfully, we’ve returned over four million pounds to 23 individual victims and we’re continuing to work through a large number of other reported claims where we can hopefully return even more money [but] we believe there may still be victims out there from all over the world who are owed some of this money we rumbled half a year ago.”
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Anyone who thinks they may be affected by this particular scam should get in touch with GMP on [email protected] with the following details:
The name of the savings and trading service invested in
The name of the law enforcement you reported the crime to, and officer details
Wallet addresses and documentation to prove ownership
Greater Manchester’s fire service officially rated ‘outstanding’ following inspection
Emily Sergeant
Greater Manchester’s fire service has officially been rated ‘outstanding’.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has awarded published its latest inspection report, and has awarded Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) two ‘Outstanding’ ratings for the first time in the service’s history.
One ‘outstanding’ rating was given for the preventing of fire and emergencies, and one for values and culture.
Some of the areas of strength noted in the report include outstanding prevention work, acknowledging the service’s innovative partnership activity and targeted risk reduction programmes, and a ‘strong, positive, and inclusive’ culture, with strong communication and a clear focus on values, staff voice, and transparent decision making.
The service was also commended for having high levels of operational preparedness, and ‘effective’ governance and scrutiny, with ‘clear’ performance reporting and strategic direction.
In addition to the two ‘Outstanding’ ratings, inspectors also rated GMFRS as ‘Good’ in seven of the eight other inspection categories – including responding to fires and other emergencies, training and developing the right people with the right skills, and ensuring fairness and diversity across the workplace.
Inspectors also acknowledged the ‘significant capacity pressures’ on fire safety regulation across the UK, and the unique challenges posed by Greater Manchester’s complex and fast-changing urban environment.
“Greater Manchester has a fire and rescue service we can be proud of,” commented Mayor Andy Burnham, as the inspection report was published this week.
Greater Manchester’s fire service has officially been rated ‘outstanding’ following its latest inspection / Credit: GMFRS
“I’ve often said that GMFRS is one of the best services not just in this country, but anywhere. The inspectors’ findings reinforce this belief. I’m pleased that this strong inspection report recognises its outstanding prevention work as part of Greater Manchester’s Live Well approach, its outstanding culture and values, and consistently good performance across almost every other area.”
Chief Fire Officer, Dave Russell, added: “I am really pleased that the inspectors have recognised our progress towards this goal, by awarding us ‘Outstanding’ ratings for the first time in our service’s history.
“I am particularly pleased to have been awarded these for our nation-leading work on prevention, helping us to use our resources in the most effective way, and in our service’s culture, which I made my number one priority when joining the service.”
Featured Image – GMFRS
News
Two incredible locals are running all the way from Rochdale to London for a deeply touching cause
Danny Jones
This April, our eyes will be firmly focused on ‘Project240’: the incredible charity challenge being taken on by two inspiring Greater Manchester natives that will see them run all the way to London for a cause very close to their hearts.
And once they’re there, they’ve got one last rather big run to get done, too.
Project240 is being taken on by locals Alex and James, who will be running (you guessed it) 240 miles from Rochdale all the way to the capital before then taking on the 2026 London Marathon.
Staggering stuff, we’re sure you’ll agree, but it becomes an even more moving story when you find out why they’re doing it.
Taking on multiple ultras split across stages on behalf of Springhill Hospice in their hometown, this pair of lads will be cramming in the remarkable distance into less than a week.
More importantly, they’re also hoping to reach a seriously impressive and significant fundraising target of £26,000 for the facility to mark the year and in honour of one very important person.
For anyone unaware of their story, the duo are running in memory of Alex’s father, Darren, who was sadly diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) at the age of 45 back in 2021.
In an effort to give back to the organisation that did so much for his dad and raise more awareness around MND, they’ll be spreading the five ultra-marathons and this year’s major London race across six days, as well as facing the shared struggle head-on with Darren in their thoughts as always.
He sadly passed away on 23 January 2020, spending just a single precious night at the Hospice – one that has left a lasting impression on their family, with Alex saying simply, “I don’t know what we would have done without Springhill Hospice.”
Credit: Supplied
He went on to add: “The care given to my dad and our family was incredible, which made the most traumatic time of our lives that little bit easier.
“Springhill Hospice is a pillar of our community, and we need to do everything we can to keep the doors open.” We couldn’t agree more; both Alex and James have our utmost admiration for what they’re about to take on, and we wish them all the best.
The route – which they will begin on Tuesday, 21 April and are scheduled to complete the following Sunday – will take them from the old Lancashire town, through Buxton, Ashbourne, Hinckley, Old Stratford, before making it all the way to Greenwich and finally London.
Last but not least, you can donate to the fundraiser right HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
22nd February 2022 
