Introduction
The rise of cryptocurrency has brought about a new wave of financial innovation that has the potential to transform the way we conduct transactions. However, with this transformation comes a new set of risks that must be addressed, including the threat of false security officers opening crypto wallets by force. In this article, we will examine this phenomenon in detail and explore the measures that can be taken to protect against it.
What are crypto wallets?
Before delving into the issue of false security officers opening crypto wallets by force, it is important to understand what crypto wallets are and how they work. A cryptocurrency wallet is a digital wallet that is used to store, send, and receive digital currency. It is similar to a traditional bank account but with a few key differences.
Firstly, a cryptocurrency wallet is not tied to a specific physical location. Instead, it exists purely in the digital realm, accessible from anywhere in the world. Secondly, cryptocurrency wallets are not controlled by a centralized authority, such as a bank. Instead, they are decentralized, meaning that they are maintained by a network of users around the world.
Types of crypto wallets
There are two main types of crypto wallets: hot wallets and cold wallets. Hot wallets are connected to the internet and are used for everyday transactions, such as buying and selling cryptocurrency. Cold wallets, on the other hand, are not connected to the internet and are used for the long-term storage of cryptocurrency. Cold wallets are considered more secure than hot wallets because they are not vulnerable to online attacks.
False security officers and crypto wallets
One of the risks associated with crypto wallets is the threat of false security officers opening them by force. In recent years, there have been a number of high-profile cases where individuals have been targeted by criminals posing as security officers and forced to hand over access to their crypto wallets.
The modus operandi of these criminals is typically to gain the trust of the victim by posing as legitimate security officers, either through social engineering or by using fake identification. They then use threats or physical force to coerce the victim into handing over access to their crypto wallet. Once they have gained access, the criminals can then transfer the victim’s digital currency to their own wallet, effectively stealing it.
Protecting against false security officers
Fortunately, there are a number of measures that can be taken to protect against false security officers opening crypto wallets by force. These include:
Education and Awareness
One of the most important measures that can be taken is to educate people about the risks associated with crypto wallets and how to protect against them. This can include providing information about the types of scams that are commonly used by criminals, as well as tips on how to identify and avoid them.
Two-factor authentication
Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a security measure that requires users to provide two forms of identification before accessing their crypto wallet. This can include a password or PIN, as well as a code sent to the user’s mobile device. 2FA can help to prevent unauthorized access to a crypto wallet, even if the criminal has gained access to the user’s login credentials.
Cold storage
As mentioned earlier, cold wallets are considered more secure than hot wallets because they are not connected to the internet. By storing digital currency in a cold wallet, users can protect it from online attacks and the threat of false security officers. It is important, however, to ensure that the cold wallet is stored securely, such as in a safe or safety deposit box.
Verify the identity of security officers
If someone claiming to be a security officer requests access to a crypto wallet, it is important to verify their identity before granting access. This can include asking for identification or contacting the relevant authorities to confirm their credentials.
In Omsk, the court considered the criminal case of a criminal group from Moscow. In the summer of 2021, three of its participants, according to investigators, robbed a former programmer of an international financial company that kept his savings in cryptocurrency.
Posing as law enforcement officers, they put the IT specialist in their car, took him to a deserted place, and forced him to transfer 25 bitcoins to cryptocurrency wallets controlled by them. The court appointed the defendants for six and a half to nine years in a strict regime colony, obliging them to compensate the programmer for damages in the amount of almost 88 million rubles.
The Oktyabrsky District Court of Omsk considered a criminal case on an attack on a former programmer of a large international financial company. This was reported in the press service of the regional department of the FSB.
According to the materials of the investigation, in the summer of 2021, Moscow residents Maxim Shapochkin, Andrey Kustovinov, and Nukri Tsetskhladze received information that a 34-year-old programmer from Omsk holds a significant part of his savings in cryptocurrency and decided to steal them. The operatives do not exclude that one of the former colleagues of the IT specialist could share information with the accused.
Observing secrecy measures, Muscovites came to Omsk separately, rented apartments at different addresses, and rented cars. For ten days, they monitored the IT specialist, finding out his usual routes of movement and daily routine.
As stated in the case, on August 9, 2021, the defendants stopped the programmer at the entrance of his house on Kirov Street. They introduced themselves as FSB and TFR officers, showed false IDs, and then demanded to get into their car.
The pseudo-siloviks reported about a criminal case allegedly initiated against the programmer and, for the sake of persuasiveness, showed the procedural documents. For the settlement of the issue with criminal prosecution, the defendants demanded 125 bitcoins.
The IT specialist, according to the investigation, agreed to pay a much smaller amount – 3 million rubles. cash and 25 bitcoins (as of August 2021, they were equivalent to almost 85 million rubles). He transferred bitcoins to cryptocurrency wallets controlled by false security forces.
In total, the production of “guest performers” was about 88 million rubles. After that, the defendants returned to Moscow.
In November 2021, the suspects were detained by employees of the regional departments of the FSB, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Russian Guard. During the search, they seized fake IDs of law enforcement officers.
The investigating authorities opened a criminal case under Art. 162 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (robbery) and Art. 327 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (use of forged documents), the arrested did not agree with the accusation against them. In July 2022, they appeared in court.
The verdict was handed down in the case today. The court sentenced Maksim Shapochkin to nine years in prison, and Andrei Kustovinov – six months less. Nukri Tsetskhladze, whose actions the court reclassified as a fraud on an especially large scale (part 4 of article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), was sentenced to six and a half years.
All three will serve their sentences in a strict regime colony. According to the official representative of the Omsk Oblast Prosecutor’s Office, Tatyana Bulikhova, the court ordered the defendants to compensate for the damage caused to the victim.