Authorities in Venezuela are on the lookout for a scammer accused of disappearing with 23.66 Bitcoin valued at $1.15 million from his clients’ accounts after faking his own kidnapping.
Douglas Rico, director of Venezuela’s Scientific, Criminal and Criminal Investigations Corps issued a statement asserting that the 23yearold, Andrés Jesús Dos Santos Hernández, was wanted by the country’s largest national police agency over charges of suspected money laundering and fraud.
As per authorities Hernadnez likely staged the abduction, with his clients’ Binance accounts having been emptied since the Venezuelan’s supposed disappearance. The police believe Hernandez simulated a kidnapping where his captors allegedly forced him to enter the Binance platform and make transfers to different digital wallets.
The suspect is believed to have posed as a financial advisor before soliciting Bitcoin from several locals. Venezuela has long been a global hotspot for Bitcoin adoption, with local citizens turning to crypto assets to combat the chronic hyper inflation that has besieged the country over the past decade.
