Canadian authorities warn crypto investors of an uptick in home robberies

By: Henry Felix

July 21, 2023 7:36 AM

Perpetrators have pretended to be delivery drivers in order to get into victims' houses and take cryptocurrency.

A Canadian police force has issued a public warning about a probable trend in which high-value bitcoin investors are robbed in their own homes.

On July 19, the RCMP in Richmond, a city south of Vancouver, reported→ multiple robberies targeting crypto investors over the course of the previous year.

According to Staff Sergeant Gene Hsieh of the Richmond RCMP Major Crime Unit, someone is "targeting these victims for cryptocurrency" and a public warning is important for public safety.

The RCMP did not reveal specifics about the occurrences but stated that in each case, the attacker pretended to be a delivery driver before robbing the victim.

"The suspects gain entry into a victim's home by masquerading as delivery personnel or officials." Once inside, the suspects rob each victim of information that allows them to access their crypto accounts."

According to Delta Police Investigative Services Staff Sergeant Jill Long, the suspects appear to know that the victims are "heavily" invested in bitcoin, as well as where they live.

The police agency reported one arrest but has not confirmed whether many incidents are connected. Because the investigations are still underway, it did not offer detailed data about the crimes or how much cryptocurrency was stolen.

To avoid a home robbery, the department advised against letting strangers or delivery workers into the house, whether they were legitimate or not, and instead directing them to leave packages outside.

If in doubt, contact the delivery business to check the person's identity, and contact authorities if danger is present or appears imminent.

The police urged that valuables and financial information be put somewhere safe within the home, such as a safety box.

In general, police advise only discussing money concerns in person, not on social media, and with trusted people.

In March, Canada's self-proclaimed "Crypto King" Aiden Pleterski was allegedly kidnapped, unjustly imprisoned and abused by five men who fell for Pleterski's apparent cryptocurrency fraud.

According→ to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, one of the guys who allegedly invested $560,000 (740,000 Canadian dollars) in the plan was charged with kidnapping Pleterski on July 17.