Two men who stole more than £5.7m worth of cryptocurrency from victims all over the world have been jailed.

Jake Lee, 38, from Charlcombe in Bath and James Heppel, 42, from Staverton in Wiltshire, both pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiracy to commit fraud.

The South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU) identified 55 victims in 26 countries, including 11 from the UK, who had been targeted by the the pair.

Lee was handed four years' imprisonment and Heppel was sentenced to 15 months at Bristol Crown Court on 3 May. The cash included £551,000 in a suitcase, which was voluntarily handed over by Lee in January.

The pair carried out the fraud by replicating the website of cryptocurrency exchange Blockchain.com to access victims’ Bitcoin wallets, allowing them to steal their funds and login details.

A print of the 2003 Banksy work Bomb Love worth £60,000, alongside cash totalling £835,000, £64,000 worth of cryptocurrency and three cars were all confiscated by police.

This case serves as a reminder of the importance of safeguarding our cryptocurrency assets. Let's stay vigilant and protect our funds from potential threats in the digital space.