Criminals in Australia are posing as law enforcement officers and using falsified cybercrime reports to scam people into believing their personal data has been compromised.
The hackers then pressure victims to transfer their cryptocurrencies to scam-controlled wallets, depleting their funds.
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Scammers take advantage of fake police reports
Australian authorities have issued a warning after discovering a scam in which cybercriminals impersonate federal police to steal cryptocurrency.
The AFP-run cybercrime coordination center has detected a number of schemes in which fraudsters obtain personal information and use it to file false cybercrime reports through the government portal ReportCyber.
The scammers then reportedly call victims and claim that their data appeared in a cryptocurrency-related breach. Scammers share a reference number that looks real and direct victims to verify it online. The report appears in the system, making the call appear legitimate.
A second caller, posing as the victim’s crypto platform, urges her to move her assets to a supposed cold storage wallet.
Officials emphasized that real law enforcement officers will never request access to cryptocurrency accounts, seed phrases, or banking details.
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This case highlights a growing problem, as scammers increasingly use social engineering and fake phone numbers to trick victims.
Social engineering threats continue to grow
The Australian scam comes amid a clear global escalation of social engineering attacks targeting cryptocurrency holders.
In August 2025, a victim lost $91 million worth of Bitcoin after scammers posed as support staff at Coinbase and major crypto services, marking one of the largest thefts of its kind.
Previously, in the United Kingdom, another victim was duped by a fraudster posing as a senior police officer. User lost $2.8 million worth of Bitcoin through a fake cold storage website.
In May, a global phishing network posing as Coinbase stole more than $20 million by directing users to fake support sites.
Together, these cases demonstrate the increasing scale and sophistication of social engineering attacks in the cryptocurrency sector.
