A 77-year-old farmer, known as “Mr. X,” lost his life savings—approximately 11.86 Bitcoin (valued at over £300,000)—to a sophisticated investment scam.
- The Scam: Fraudsters used remote-access software (AnyDesk) to help the victim “invest,” eventually draining his accounts and even pressuring him to sell vintage cars.
- The Recovery: A unique collaboration between the police, a specialist legal firm (EMM Legal), and the exchange Binance made the recovery possible. The police traced the “peel-chains” (a laundering technique) back to a specific deposit address. Binance voluntarily froze the suspect’s account, and after a legal default judgment, the stolen Bitcoin was returned to the victim.