- Scammers impersonate police officers and reference official government websites.
- Victims are falsely told they are involved in cryptocurrency-related investigations.
- The AFP warns that real officers will never request access to wallets or accounts.
Australia is facing a sophisticated wave of cryptocurrency fraud that relies on fake law enforcement operations.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) confirmed that fraudsters are posing as officers and citing counterfeit cybercrime reports to trick people into transferring digital assets.
This scam is notable for its calculated misuse of a legitimate online government portal, ReportCyber, which is intended to help citizens report cybercrime.
Scammers exploit this official system to file bogus reports about targeted individuals.
Once a fabricated report is in place, they contact victims directly, impersonate police officers, and refer to the fake case to establish credibility.
They often direct victims to genuine government websites to review the reports, making the entire setup appear authentic.
Exploiting official systems to enable crypto fraud
This tactic leverages public trust in government infrastructure. Fraudsters no longer rely solely on unsolicited messages or malicious links.
They use real public services to build elaborate layers of deception.
The goal is to make their claims seem verifiable and to coax unsuspecting users into a false sense of security before attempting to extract their digital assets.
In a recent incident reported by the AFP, a scammer lodged a fake complaint on ReportCyber against a target. Shortly afterward, the victim was contacted by someone claiming to be a police officer.
The caller explained that the victim was linked to a criminal matter involving cryptocurrency and said the victim should expect another call from a representative of a crypto company who would corroborate the story.
The second caller, who was also a scammer, tried to persuade the victim to move their assets from one crypto wallet to another. The wallet address provided belonged to the fraudsters.
Fortunately, the victim noticed inconsistencies in the communication and ended the call before any transfer took place.
Police procedures mimicked to a high degree
AFP officials revealed that the tactics used in these scams closely mirror genuine law enforcement procedures.
Criminals involved in these schemes fabricate arrest narratives, connect victims to supposed ongoing investigations, and mimic the language and steps used in real probes.
This level of detail makes it difficult for victims to distinguish legitimate contact from fraud.
The scams are structured so attackers can escalate their approach using multiple actors.
First, a police impersonator initiates contact.
Next, another person claims to represent a cryptocurrency company. Both actors support the same fabricated narrative and provide fake verification documents to bolster their credibility.
The AFP urged Australians to exercise caution. If anyone is contacted about a ReportCyber submission they did not make or approve, they should end the call and notify authorities directly.
Real officers will never ask for access to your crypto wallet, bank accounts, or sensitive financial information such as seed phrases.