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
Altrincham named one of the UK’s best places to live in 2026 in The Sunday Times’ annual ranking
Emily Sergeant
A popular Greater Manchester town has been named among the UK’s best places to live by the Sunday Times in its annual ranking.
That’s right… it’s that time of year, once again.
The Sunday Times is known for pulling together a list of what it considers to be the most sought-after places to live in the UK every year, and 2026’s ranking has officially been published today – with dozens of locations across the country making up the comprehensive guide, and six of those coveted locations being right here in the North West.
The Sunday Times’s expert judges have visited all locations on the list, and assessed factors such as schools, transport, culture, broadband speeds, access to green spaces, the health of the high streets, and much more to devise the always-talked-about annual ranking.
Macclesfield in Cheshire, Eden Valley in Cumbria, Lancaster in Lancashire, and Aigburth in Liverpool are just some of the North West areas named by the publication in the 2026 list.
Altrincham has been named one of the best places to live in the UK / Credit: The Manc Group
A spotlight has also been shone on two Greater Manchester towns, and one of two has even been given the regional North West title… but which are they?
Where has taken the top spot as the best place to live in the North West for 2026, and is therefore one of the best places to live in the whole of the country? Well, that honour has been given to none other than Greater Manchester’s very-own Altrincham.
The publication described the Trafford town as ‘classy, cool and effortlessly comfortable’.
“Altrincham is a top-notch town brimming with independent businesses and big brands, and now it’s flying even higher,” The Sunday Times said.
The fact that co-working has now arrived on the high street thanks to the conversion of the old Rackhams department store, and that the town’s cultural and creative ‘cachet’ is also on the rise, have been highlighted as reasons as to why Altrincham has been chosen as the North West’s winner, as well its newly-flourishing fitness scene.
Of course, the town has also been praised for its transport links into Manchester city centre and across the region, as well as it being a great place for families thanks to the excellent local schools on offer.
Didsbury was the other Greater Manchester town chosen to represent the best of the North West – with the Manchester suburb described as being ‘stylish, solid, safe, and, yes, a little bit smug in parts… but that’s okay’.
You can read the full Altrincham feature here, and see where else The Sunday Times included in its list for 2026 here.
Featured Image – Geograph
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11 arrested and £70k cash seized during early-morning police drug raids across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
11 people have been arrested, as well as a large amount of cash and drugs seized, during early-morning raids across Greater Manchester.
The raids took place during the early hours of the morning yesterday (Thursday 19 March 2026), where Greater Manchester Police (GMP) successfully executed eight warrants simultaneously across Tameside, Oldham, and Rochdale to tackle a ‘suspected criminal network’ involved in the distribution of class A drugs and firearms.
Officers from Tameside Programme Challenger team, the District Intelligence Unit (DIU), and GMP’s Tactical Aid Unit (TAU) were deployed to each of the addresses.
Following weeks of intelligence gathering and preparation, a total of 11 people – each aged between 24 and 77 – were arrested on suspicion of drug-related offences during the raids.
Eight men and three women were arrested on suspicion of a range of offences, including conspiracy to supply class A and B drugs, being part of an organised crime group, possession with intent to supply, money laundering, and possession of an offensive weapon.
They all remain in police custody for questioning at this time, GMP confirmed.
During searches of the addresses, various class A, B and C drugs – including crack cocaine, heroin, cannabis, and nitrous oxide – were seized, while further recoveries of £70,000 in cash, a zombie knife, a BB gun, and four vehicles were also made at the same time.
Speaking following the success of the raids yesterday, Chief Superintendent Shan Nasim, District Commander for Tameside, said: “[This] operation has been a powerful example of our continued, determined effort to dismantle organised crime in our district and Greater Manchester.
“We have 11 people in custody being questioned by our investigation teams in relation to an organised crime group (OCG) that have been causing widespread harm across our communities.
“This action caused significant disruption of an organised crime group (OCG) and has prevented drugs and weapons from reaching the streets, as well as the associated harms that come hand in hand with organised crime.
“Organised criminals exploit vulnerable people and blight our communities; we will take robust action to catch offenders, keep our communities safe, and protect vulnerable people across Greater Manchester.”
Emily Sergeant -
22nd February 2022 
