Armed Criminals Who Posed as Bitcoin Buyers Stole Over $5K From a 26-Year-Old Man in Argentina
In-person crypto robberies are becoming a global issue lately for the authorities, and this time, Argentina is the place of the latest case reported. In Mendoza, an unnamed man was assaulted by two criminals who posed as bitcoin buyers.
Identities of the Robbers Are Still Unknown
According to Mendo Voz, the 26-years-old man, identified by his initials as F.T., agreed to meet with the two robbers at 7:30 pm local time via telephone in a street corner of the Guaymallén neighborhood.
In a first instance, F.T. believed the two criminals were legit bitcoin (BTC) buyers who wished to buy his cryptos in exchange for Argentinean pesos. There are no reports on how many exact bitcoins the men agreed to acquire.
However, the situation became suspicious, as the alleged BTC buyers never arrived. Afterward, two robbers appeared on the scene by threatening him with a firearm.
Per the local newspaper Los Andes, the individuals are suspected to be the same people who posed as crypto buyers.
Criminals managed to steal him an iPhone, $2,500 and 120,000 Argentinean pesos ($3,810). F.T. wasn’t injured during the incident, but the robbers fled from the scene in a van.
Residents of the neighborhood helped the victim by calling the police. Per the local media, the stolen iPhone was found by the authorities on a highway.
The Attorney Office Nº19 of the 35th Argentinean Police Station is now pursuing the correspondent investigations. However, there are no arrests made, nor hints on the identities of the robbers as of press time.
Hong Kong Is Living Its Own Drama With Crypto-Related Robberies
As the year kicked off, in Hong Kong, a 37-year-old man also was a victim of a theft from a gang of robbers who fled with 15 bitcoin (BTC), worth HKD 3 million ($387,000) in cash at that time. They had also agreed to meet in person for a crypto exchange transaction.
Also, in the same country, Bitcoin.com News reported another robbery that involved an offline crypto transaction. A female trader was a victim of robbers who stole her HKD 3.5 million ($451,000) worth in tether (USDT) tokens.
What do you think about this case of “crypto robbery” in Argentina? Let us know in the comments section below.
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