Victoria Police say new federal digital asset seizure legislation helped recover and return $80,000 in stolen cryptocurrency funds to its owner, an 84-year-old man in Victoria.
Following an investigation, VicPD says the senior was targeted by a sophisticated tech support scam where $110,000 in cryptocurrency funds was stolen from his accounts.
The investigation began in December 2024, when Victoria Police received a report from the 84-year-old about unauthorized transfers from his cryptocurrency accounts.
According to VicPD, “while experiencing technical issues with his cell phone, the victim used a voice assistant to locate the phone number for TELUS Tech Support and initiated a call.”
The person on the line claimed he was with TELUS and gained remote access to the man’s phone to assist with a technical issue. According to police, the suspect “actually resolved the initial technical issue.”
After the call, the man realized that $110,000 from his cryptocurrency accounts had fraudulently been transferred through the same device.
Following an investigation, VicPD identified a suspect in South Africa. Police traced the funds to the suspect through several accounts on a cryptocurrency exchange. The tracing chart is provided by VicPD here.
In May 2025, $80,000 of the $110,000 in funds were seized and returned to the victim by VicPD.
“This case marks the first time newly enacted digital asset seizure legislation has been utilized in British Columbia, showcasing VicPD’s commitment to innovation in combating cyber crime,” read VicPD’s statement on Wednesday.
New legislation: Special Warrant to Seize Digital Assets
VicPD say the success of the investigation is due to new federal legislation introduced in 2024, which allowed them to gain a Special Warrant to Seize Digital Assets.
The special warrant allowed investigators to freeze the assets as well as the cryptocurrency accounts where fraudulent activity had taken place.
The federal legislation under Bill C-47, Clause 212 introduces new section 462.321 to the Criminal Code, giving police authority to search for and seize digital assets such as cryptocurrency.
The new section allows for the search of “digital assets” by the use of a computer program, as well as the seizure, detention and return of those assets. These powers are limited in scope to the proceeds of crime and mirror the existing provisions concerning general powers of search, seizure and detention, states the Criminal Code.
“We are proud to be the first police agency in B.C. to utilize this new legislation, demonstrating our commitment to staying ahead of emerging cybercrime trends and protecting our community,” said Sgt. Simon de Wit, supervisor of VicPD’s Cyber Crime Unit.
“This legislation provides us with a crucial tool to pursue and recover stolen digital assets and aids us in our fight against these increasingly sophisticated scams.”
Cryptocurrency fraud among British Columbians led to $35M losses in fall 2024
Police say that on Sept. 16 and 17, 2024, VicPD officers took part in a joint event with Delta Police and blockchain analytics company Chainalysis called “Operation DeCloak.”
READ ALSO: VicPD says scammers using AI in some cryptocurrency scams
During that operation, police say they identified 1,100 victims of cryptocurrency fraud across the globe, including “a significant number of potential Canadian victims,” accounting for approximately $35 million in losses among British Columbians.
VicPD encourages the public to report any incidents of fraud as soon as it occurs, as “time is of the essence when dealing with cryptocurrency fraud,” adding, “Reporting incidents to police immediately increases the likelihood of successfully recovering stolen funds before they are moved beyond reach.”
Watch VicPD speak about the investigation in the video below:
VicPD recovered $80,000 in cryptocurrency funds stolen from an 84-year-old Victoria resident. This case marks the first time newly enacted digital asset seizure legislation has been utilized in British Columbia showcasing our commitment to innovation.
Read more:… pic.twitter.com/khVYlMqfKn
— Victoria Police (@vicpdcanada) June 4, 2025
If you have been a victim of cryptocurrency fraud, report it to the E-Comm Report Desk at (250) 995-7654, extension 1, and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
Learn more by visiting vicpd.ca/fraud.
READ ALSO: B.C. operation by police, regulators finds losses of $4M in assets to crypto fraud