Police have warned Kent residents to be vigilant about fraud after nine people lost a combined £1 million in cryptocurrency scams.
Victims’ personal details were shared online after a data leak, Kent Police said, and their information was used to generate “fake Action Fraud reports”.
Action Fraud is the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cyber crime.
Someone claiming to be a police officer contacted victims and reassured them an investigation had been launched, the force said.
The fake officer told victims to “expect a call from the crypto wallet host” and they then received a second call from a person who said they were “a security officer”, police added.