Australian authorities have issued a warning regarding scammers who are impersonating federal police and exploiting the country’s cybercrime reporting system to target the crypto wallets of unsuspecting users. According to a November 13 statement from the Australian Federal Police, scammers are filing fraudulent cybercrime reports and contacting victims while pretending to be AFP officers, in a calculated attempt to pressure them into handing over digital assets. They do this by illegally obtaining personal details such as email addresses and phone numbers, then using that information to “verify personal information in ways that match common expectations” in order to earn the victim’s trust, AFP Detective Superintendent Marie Andersson explained. Crypto scammers use stolen data to target Australians The scam has become increasingly sophisticated , with criminals using official-looking reference numbers generated through Australia’s national reporting portal, ReportCyber, to create a false sense of legitimacy. Victims are being told they appear in crypto-related data breaches, often linked to fabricated arrests, before being urged to verify these claims themselves by checking the ReportCyber portal using their email. According to police, one real-life case involved a victim who received a call from someone claiming to be an AFP officer. The caller said the victim’s name was linked to a cybercrime case and provided a ReportCyber reference number. When the victim checked online and found a matching report, it appeared convincing. A second caller then posed as a representative from a crypto exchange and referenced the same case number to prompt a transfer of funds to a so-called cold storage wallet. Fortunately, the victim grew suspicious and hung up before any transfer was made. Phone number spoofing has also been used to mimic real AFP lines, further reinforcing the scam’s appearance of authenticity. According to Andersson, the scammers “move quickly from making the report to calling the target,” which helps create a strong sense of urgency and leaves little time for victims to think critically. Authorities are urging Australians to be cautious of any unexpected calls referencing cybercrime reports they did not personally lodge. Individuals who receive such calls are advised to terminate the conversation immediately and contact authorities. “Legitimate law enforcement officials will never request access to your cryptocurrency accounts, wallets, seed phrases, or banking details,” the AFP warned. Despite this manipulation of the ReportCyber platform, officials stressed that the tool remains a safe and essential resource for reporting real incidents. “Every cybercrime report can help police track criminals, assist in building intelligence on emerging cyber threats, and prevent other people from being targeted,” Andersson said, encouraging continued public use of the system while staying alert to its potential misuse. Australia cracks down on crypto scams The latest warning comes as part of a nationwide clampdown on crypto-related fraud across, which has been steadily intensifying in the country over the past year. Earlier this year, the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre launched a campaign targeting dormant crypto exchanges as the agency was concerned that inactive registrations could be co-opted by bad actors to provide a false veneer of legitimacy. In a separate effort, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission revealed it had taken down over 14,000 fraudulent websites since 2022, including more than 3,000 directly linked to crypto scams. Many of these schemes used fake trading platforms, spoofed advertisements, and AI-generated celebrity endorsements to lure victims. Authorities have also taken aim at the country’s network of over 1,800 crypto ATMs, which AUSTRAC identified as a growing vector for scam-related activity. Investigations revealed that many of the high-value transactions involved victims rather than organised criminal operators. New reporting requirements have since been imposed on ATM operators, and law enforcement has been using real-time data and behavioural monitoring to identify suspicious transactions. The post Crypto scammers are impersonating Australian police to steal crypto: report appeared first on Invezz
