🕷️ Crawler Inspector

URL Lookup

Direct Parameter Lookup

Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 16 (from laksa010)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa016.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1kzg1nwwk1o\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1kzg1nwwk1o\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c1kzg1nwwk1o","crawl_time":1772863678,"first_indexed_time":1755692692,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,bbc!www,\/news\/articles\/c1kzg1nwwk1o s443","src_root_hash":"1643509356818581016","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"Cryptocurrency: Police warning after £2.1m Bitcoin scam","meta_descriptions":["The scammer posed as a UK police officer and used a fake story to steal the victim's password."],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"20 August 2025\nEleri Griffiths\nBBC News\nGetty Images\nThe victim was contacted by someone acting as a UK police officer\nA police force has issued a warning to cryptocurrency holders after a victim lost £2.1 million in Bitcoin to a \"sophisticated scam\".\nNorth Wales Police said a person posing as a senior UK officer tricked the victim into entering their password on a fake site by using a false story about a security breach.\nThe case highlights a \"disturbing new trend\", the force said, with scammers \"crafting sophisticated social engineering schemes to trick even the most diligent holders\".\nIt has urged people to remain vigilant and trust their instincts, and has issued guidance to help prevent similar attacks.\nPolice said those targeted may have been identified through a data breach \"making this a highly targeted and advanced scam\".\nIt involved the victim being told a fabricated story that police had arrested an  individual whose phone contained the victim's personal identification documents.\nExploiting \"fear\" and \"urgency\", they urged the victim to \"secure their assets\" by logging in via a fake website link - believing it was legitimate, the victim entered their password.\nThis gave the apparent perpetrators access to rebuild the victim's wallet and steal £2.1 million within a \"matter of moments\".\nThe force said it was working to trace the funds but warned the case \"serves as a reminder that scammers are constantly evolving their tactics\".\nIt also issued several pieces of advice:\nPolice will never call you unexpectedly about your crypto or ask you to use your cold storage device - this is a big red flag.\nIf unsure, hang up and call 101 to check if the contact was real.\nNever share or enter your password anywhere except directly on your cold storage device during setup or recovery.\nNo legitimate company or police officer will ever ask for your seed phrase.","attrs_markdown":"[Skip to content](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c1kzg1nwwk1o#main-content)\n\n[Register](https:\/\/session.bbc.com\/session?action=register&userOrigin=BBCS_BBC&ptrt=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.com%2Fnews%2Farticles%2Fc1kzg1nwwk1o)\n\n[Sign In](https:\/\/session.bbc.com\/session?userOrigin=BBCS_BBC&ptrt=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.com%2Fnews%2Farticles%2Fc1kzg1nwwk1o)\n\n- [Home](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/)\n- [News](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news)\n- [Sport](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/sport)\n- [Business](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/business)\n- [Technology](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/technology)\n- [Health](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/health)\n- [Culture](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/culture)\n- [Arts](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/arts)\n- [Travel](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/travel)\n- [Earth](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/future-planet)\n- [Audio](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/audio)\n- [Video](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/video)\n- [Live](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/live)\n\n- [Home](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/home)\n- [News](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news)\n  - [US & Canada](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/us-canada)\n  - [UK](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/uk)\n    - [UK Politics](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/politics)\n    - [England](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/england)\n    - [N. 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[Live Sport](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/live\/sport)\n\n[Home](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/)\n\nNews\n\n[Sport](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/sport)\n\nBusiness\n\nTechnology\n\n[Health](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/health)\n\nCulture\n\nArts\n\nTravel\n\nEarth\n\nAudio\n\nVideo\n\nLive\n\n[Weather](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/weather)\n\n[Newsletters](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/newsletters)\n\n# Police issue warning after £2.1m Bitcoin 'scam'\n20 August 2025\n\nShare\n\nSave\n\nEleri GriffithsBBC News\n\nShare\n\nSave\n\n![Getty Images A generic dark image of an anonymous scammer dressed in a hoodie with black gloves hacking a computer system. ](https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/8934\/live\/29f1a2f0-7d9b-11f0-ab3e-bd52082cd0ae.jpg.webp)Getty Images\n\nThe victim was contacted by someone acting as a UK police officer\n\nA police force has issued a warning to cryptocurrency holders after a victim lost £2.1 million in Bitcoin to a \"sophisticated scam\".\n\nNorth Wales Police said a person posing as a senior UK officer tricked the victim into entering their password on a fake site by using a false story about a security breach.\n\nThe case highlights a \"disturbing new trend\", the force said, with scammers \"crafting sophisticated social engineering schemes to trick even the most diligent holders\".\n\nIt has urged people to remain vigilant and trust their instincts, and has issued guidance to help prevent similar attacks.\n\nPolice said those targeted may have been identified through a data breach \"making this a highly targeted and advanced scam\".\n\nIt involved the victim being told a fabricated story that police had arrested an individual whose phone contained the victim's personal identification documents.\n\nExploiting \"fear\" and \"urgency\", they urged the victim to \"secure their assets\" by logging in via a fake website link - believing it was legitimate, the victim entered their password.\n\nThis gave the apparent perpetrators access to rebuild the victim's wallet and steal £2.1 million within a \"matter of moments\".\n\nThe force said it was working to trace the funds but warned the case \"serves as a reminder that scammers are constantly evolving their tactics\".\n\nIt also issued several pieces of advice:\n\n- Police will never call you unexpectedly about your crypto or ask you to use your cold storage device - this is a big red flag.\n- If unsure, hang up and call 101 to check if the contact was real.\n- Never share or enter your password anywhere except directly on your cold storage device during setup or recovery.\n- No legitimate company or police officer will ever ask for your seed phrase.\n\n[Should Bitcoin owners make a will?](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/uk-wales-51008441)\n\n[Man's plea to find £210m bitcoin hard drive in tip](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/uk-wales-55658942)\n\n['The King of Crypto lost me £1.7m'](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/technology-66892685)\n\n[Wales](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/wales)\n\n[Bitcoin](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/topics\/c734j90em14t)\n\n[Fraud](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/topics\/cvwydw4g8pzt)\n\n[Cryptocurrency](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/topics\/cyd7z4rvdm3t)\n\n***\nRelated\n\n[Fruit and veg driver hopes to retire and buy racehorse after lotto win](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cr5l1q6lrn4o)\n\n[Senedd election chance to save the NHS, says Lib Dem leader](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cgqgkn7808wo)\n\n[Rats 'the size of rabbits' on city street plagued by fly-tipping](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cvgjj10zk1ro)\n\n***\nMore from the BBC\n\n[16 hrs ago ![An empty bed in an intensive care unit in a hospital. Two people in blue medical scrubs are standing either side of it. There is medical equipment around the bed. The room is white.](https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/44f2\/live\/0f38fba0-1965-11f1-801d-ed3cff6bf876.jpg.webp) Couple used fake NHS order in £2m fraud A husband and wife are barred from being company directors after faking a £10m order from the NHS. 16 hrs ago](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c5y6v2pnekzo)\n\n[5 days ago ![Sundararaman Ramamurthy, the chief executive of the Bombay Stock Exchange](https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/d627\/live\/d8cc3a80-122c-11f1-87fc-7d3b323315e3.jpg.webp) Deepfake attack: 'Many people could have been cheated' The boss of the Bombay Stock Exchange was recently targeted in what is a growing global problem. 5 days ago](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c0j59vydxj9o)\n\n[6 days ago ![A couple taking a selfie on board a flight](https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/a423\/live\/c0049c50-118b-11f1-89e5-1f2745badd52.jpg.webp) We found out we'd bought fake flights at check-in A couple turned up at Heathrow Airport ready to fly - only to learn they had lost more than £2,500. 6 days ago](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c743d7vdwzyo)\n\n[7 days ago ![A man in blue trousers, a blue jumper and a black Barbour jacket walking towards a court.](https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/0f40\/live\/6e52a980-13dc-11f1-b22e-e5eaf1a00c5b.jpg.webp) Fraud accused denies swindling women of money Marc Cole-Jones pleads not guilty to 25 counts of fraud totalling £645,791 and involving seven women. 7 days ago](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cwy9ndpw150o)\n\n[25 Feb 2026 ![A general view of boats on the water at Ferry Nab in Windermere. The small sailing boats are stationary on the lake. In the background there are fells on the opposite side of the lake. The sky is blue with a few white clouds.](https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/577e\/live\/57803f40-dfd7-11ef-8899-07ba6c6a90c6.jpg.webp) Warning over QR code parking scam at beauty spots Police say four car parks were targeted by scammers placing stickers with fake QR code payments. 25 Feb 2026](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cvg1r5elqlvo)\n***\n- [Home](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/)\n- [News](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news)\n- [Sport](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/sport)\n- [Business](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/business)\n- [Technology](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/technology)\n- [Health](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/health)\n- [Culture](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/culture)\n- [Arts](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/arts)\n- [Travel](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/travel)\n- [Earth](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/future-planet)\n- [Audio](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/audio)\n- [Video](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/video)\n- [Live](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/live)\n- [Weather](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/weather)\n- [BBC Shop](https:\/\/shop.bbc.com\/)\n- [BritBox](https:\/\/www.britbox.com\/?utm_source=bbc.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=footer)\n\nBBC in other languages\n\n### The BBC is in multiple languages\n#### Read the BBC In your own language\n[Oduu Afaan Oromootiin](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/afaanoromoo)\n\n[Amharic ዜና በአማርኛ](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/amharic)\n\n[Arabic عربي](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/arabic)\n\n[Azeri AZƏRBAYCAN](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/azeri)\n\n[Bangla বাংলা](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/bengali)\n\n[Burmese မြန်မာ](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/burmese)\n\n[Chinese 中文网](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/zhongwen\/simp)\n\n[Dari دری](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/dari)\n\n[French AFRIQUE](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/afrique)\n\n[Hausa HAUSA](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/hausa)\n\n[Hindi हिन्दी](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/hindi)\n\n[Gaelic NAIDHEACHDAN](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/naidheachdan)\n\n[Gujarati ગુજરાતીમાં સમાચાર](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/gujarati)\n\n[Igbo AKỤKỌ N’IGBO](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/igbo)\n\n[Indonesian INDONESIA](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/indonesia)\n\n[Japanese 日本語](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/japanese)\n\n[Kinyarwanda GAHUZA](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/gahuza)\n\n[Kirundi KIRUNDI](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/gahuza)\n\n[Korean 한국어](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/korean)\n\n[Kyrgyz Кыргыз](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/kyrgyz)\n\n[Marathi मराठी](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/marathi)\n\n[Nepali नेपाली](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/nepali)\n\n[Noticias para hispanoparlantes](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/mundo)\n\n[Pashto پښتو](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/pashto)\n\n[Persian فارسی](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/persian)\n\n[Pidgin](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/pidgin)\n\n[Polish PO POLSKU](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/polska)\n\n[Portuguese BRASIL](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/portuguese)\n\n[Punjabi ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਖ਼ਬਰਾਂ](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/punjabi)\n\n[Russian НА РУССКОМ](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/russian)\n\n[Serbian NA SRPSKOM](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/serbian\/lat)\n\n[Sinhala සිංහල](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/sinhala)\n\n[Somali SOMALI](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/somali)\n\n[Swahili HABARI KWA KISWAHILI](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/swahili)\n\n[Tamil தமிழில் செய்திகள்](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/tamil)\n\n[Telugu తెలుగు వార్తలు](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/telugu)\n\n[Thai ข่าวภาษาไทย](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/thai)\n\n[Tigrinya ዜና ብትግርኛ](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/tigrinya)\n\n[Turkish TÜRKÇE](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/turkce)\n\n[Ukrainian УКРАЇНСЬКA](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/ukrainian)\n\n[Urdu اردو](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/urdu)\n\n[Uzbek O'ZBEK](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/uzbek)\n\n[Vietnamese TIẾNG VIỆT](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/vietnamese)\n\n[Welsh NEWYDDION](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/cymrufyw)\n\n[Yoruba ÌRÒYÌN NÍ YORÙBÁ](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/yoruba)\n\nFollow BBC on:\n\n- [Terms of Use](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/pages\/terms-of-use)\n- [Subscription Terms](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/pages\/subscription-terms)\n- [About the BBC](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/aboutthebbc)\n- [Privacy Policy](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/pages\/privacy-policy)\n- [Cookies](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/usingthebbc\/cookies\/)\n- [Accessibility Help](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/accessibility\/)\n- [Contact the BBC](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/contact)\n- [Advertise with us](https:\/\/advertising.bbcstudios.com\/)\n- [Do not share or sell my info](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/usingthebbc\/cookies\/how-can-i-change-my-bbc-cookie-settings\/)\n- [BBC.com Help & FAQs](https:\/\/help.bbc.com\/hc\/)\n- [Content Index](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/pages\/content-index)\n- [Set Preferred Source](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/future\/article\/20260128-how-to-make-google-put-trusted-sources-up-top-when-you-search)\n\nCopyright 2026 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. [**Read about our approach to external linking.**](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/editorialguidelines\/guidance\/feeds-and-links)","attrs_readable_markdown":"20 August 2025\n\nEleri GriffithsBBC News\n\n![Getty Images A generic dark image of an anonymous scammer dressed in a hoodie with black gloves hacking a computer system. ](https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/8934\/live\/29f1a2f0-7d9b-11f0-ab3e-bd52082cd0ae.jpg.webp)Getty Images\n\nThe victim was contacted by someone acting as a UK police officer\n\nA police force has issued a warning to cryptocurrency holders after a victim lost £2.1 million in Bitcoin to a \"sophisticated scam\".\n\nNorth Wales Police said a person posing as a senior UK officer tricked the victim into entering their password on a fake site by using a false story about a security breach.\n\nThe case highlights a \"disturbing new trend\", the force said, with scammers \"crafting sophisticated social engineering schemes to trick even the most diligent holders\".\n\nIt has urged people to remain vigilant and trust their instincts, and has issued guidance to help prevent similar attacks.\n\nPolice said those targeted may have been identified through a data breach \"making this a highly targeted and advanced scam\".\n\nIt involved the victim being told a fabricated story that police had arrested an individual whose phone contained the victim's personal identification documents.\n\nExploiting \"fear\" and \"urgency\", they urged the victim to \"secure their assets\" by logging in via a fake website link - believing it was legitimate, the victim entered their password.\n\nThis gave the apparent perpetrators access to rebuild the victim's wallet and steal £2.1 million within a \"matter of moments\".\n\nThe force said it was working to trace the funds but warned the case \"serves as a reminder that scammers are constantly evolving their tactics\".\n\nIt also issued several pieces of advice:\n\n- Police will never call you unexpectedly about your crypto or ask you to use your cold storage device - this is a big red flag.\n- If unsure, hang up and call 101 to check if the contact was real.\n- Never share or enter your password anywhere except directly on your cold storage device during setup or recovery.\n- No legitimate company or police officer will ever ask for your seed phrase.","meta_canonical":null}

3. Robots.txt Check

Query:

Response:

4. Spam/Ban Check

Query:

Response:

5. Seen Status Check

ℹ️ Skipped - page is already crawled

📄

INDEXABLE

✅

CRAWLED

1 month ago

🚫

ROBOTS BLOCKED

Page Info Filters

Filter	Status	Condition	Details
HTTP status	PASS	`download_http_code = 200`	HTTP 200
Age cutoff	PASS	`download_stamp > now() - 6 MONTH`	1.3 months ago
History drop	PASS	`isNull(history_drop_reason)`	No drop reason
Spam/ban	PASS	`fh_dont_index != 1 AND ml_spam_score = 0`	ml_spam_score=0
Canonical	PASS	`meta_canonical IS NULL OR = '' OR = src_unparsed`	Not set

Page Details

Property	Value
URL	https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1kzg1nwwk1o
Last Crawled	2026-03-07 06:07:58 (1 month ago)
First Indexed	2025-08-20 12:24:52 (7 months ago)
HTTP Status Code	200
Meta Title	Cryptocurrency: Police warning after £2.1m Bitcoin scam
Meta Description	The scammer posed as a UK police officer and used a fake story to steal the victim's password.
Meta Canonical	null
Boilerpipe Text	20 August 2025 Eleri Griffiths BBC News Getty Images The victim was contacted by someone acting as a UK police officer A police force has issued a warning to cryptocurrency holders after a victim lost £2.1 million in Bitcoin to a "sophisticated scam". North Wales Police said a person posing as a senior UK officer tricked the victim into entering their password on a fake site by using a false story about a security breach. The case highlights a "disturbing new trend", the force said, with scammers "crafting sophisticated social engineering schemes to trick even the most diligent holders". It has urged people to remain vigilant and trust their instincts, and has issued guidance to help prevent similar attacks. Police said those targeted may have been identified through a data breach "making this a highly targeted and advanced scam". It involved the victim being told a fabricated story that police had arrested an individual whose phone contained the victim's personal identification documents. Exploiting "fear" and "urgency", they urged the victim to "secure their assets" by logging in via a fake website link - believing it was legitimate, the victim entered their password. This gave the apparent perpetrators access to rebuild the victim's wallet and steal £2.1 million within a "matter of moments". The force said it was working to trace the funds but warned the case "serves as a reminder that scammers are constantly evolving their tactics". It also issued several pieces of advice: Police will never call you unexpectedly about your crypto or ask you to use your cold storage device - this is a big red flag. If unsure, hang up and call 101 to check if the contact was real. Never share or enter your password anywhere except directly on your cold storage device during setup or recovery. No legitimate company or police officer will ever ask for your seed phrase.
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North Wales Police said a person posing as a senior UK officer tricked the victim into entering their password on a fake site by using a false story about a security breach. The case highlights a "disturbing new trend", the force said, with scammers "crafting sophisticated social engineering schemes to trick even the most diligent holders". It has urged people to remain vigilant and trust their instincts, and has issued guidance to help prevent similar attacks. Police said those targeted may have been identified through a data breach "making this a highly targeted and advanced scam". It involved the victim being told a fabricated story that police had arrested an individual whose phone contained the victim's personal identification documents. Exploiting "fear" and "urgency", they urged the victim to "secure their assets" by logging in via a fake website link - believing it was legitimate, the victim entered their password. This gave the apparent perpetrators access to rebuild the victim's wallet and steal £2.1 million within a "matter of moments". The force said it was working to trace the funds but warned the case "serves as a reminder that scammers are constantly evolving their tactics". It also issued several pieces of advice: - Police will never call you unexpectedly about your crypto or ask you to use your cold storage device - this is a big red flag. - If unsure, hang up and call 101 to check if the contact was real. - Never share or enter your password anywhere except directly on your cold storage device during setup or recovery. - No legitimate company or police officer will ever ask for your seed phrase. 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Readable Markdown	20 August 2025 Eleri GriffithsBBC News ![Getty Images A generic dark image of an anonymous scammer dressed in a hoodie with black gloves hacking a computer system. ](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/8934/live/29f1a2f0-7d9b-11f0-ab3e-bd52082cd0ae.jpg.webp)Getty Images The victim was contacted by someone acting as a UK police officer A police force has issued a warning to cryptocurrency holders after a victim lost £2.1 million in Bitcoin to a "sophisticated scam". North Wales Police said a person posing as a senior UK officer tricked the victim into entering their password on a fake site by using a false story about a security breach. The case highlights a "disturbing new trend", the force said, with scammers "crafting sophisticated social engineering schemes to trick even the most diligent holders". It has urged people to remain vigilant and trust their instincts, and has issued guidance to help prevent similar attacks. Police said those targeted may have been identified through a data breach "making this a highly targeted and advanced scam". It involved the victim being told a fabricated story that police had arrested an individual whose phone contained the victim's personal identification documents. Exploiting "fear" and "urgency", they urged the victim to "secure their assets" by logging in via a fake website link - believing it was legitimate, the victim entered their password. This gave the apparent perpetrators access to rebuild the victim's wallet and steal £2.1 million within a "matter of moments". The force said it was working to trace the funds but warned the case "serves as a reminder that scammers are constantly evolving their tactics". It also issued several pieces of advice: - Police will never call you unexpectedly about your crypto or ask you to use your cold storage device - this is a big red flag. - If unsure, hang up and call 101 to check if the contact was real. - Never share or enter your password anywhere except directly on your cold storage device during setup or recovery. - No legitimate company or police officer will ever ask for your seed phrase.
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