In short
- British athlete CJ Ujah was among ten men charged in connection with a UK cryptocurrency fraud investigation.
- Police say the victims were tricked into sharing the bag of seeds during the experiment.
- Authorities say one victim lost more than £300,000 in the scheme.
British athlete CJ Ujah is facing charges in the UK for his cryptocurrency scam operation which police say targets victims through a scam designed to steal crypto wallets.
On Thursday, UK Regional Organized Crime Units (ROCUs) he said 10 people have been charged with conspiracy to commit fraud following attacks in Kent, Essex, London, and Wakefield on April 29.
“It is alleged that the suspects were part of a gang involved in a scam that involved making phone calls to multiple victims, from people claiming to be police officers and cryptocurrency companies,” the agency said.
Police say the victims were tricked into sharing seed words and other wallet passwords before they realized their cryptocurrency had been stolen. Although UK authorities did not specify which crypto assets were stolen, the victim reportedly lost more than £300,000.
Seed words serve as the recovery keys for many cryptocurrency wallets. Anyone who has access to this statement can recover the wallet and transfer its funds, making them a target for scams and scams.
All 10 suspects appeared in court on April 30. Three people, including British athlete Brandon Mingeli, were remanded in custody until their next court hearing on May 28. Seven others, including Ujah, were released on bail.
Ujah rose to prominence by helping Great Britain win the 4×100-meter gold at the 2017 world championships in Usain Bolt’s final race. He later received a 22-month ban after testing positive for a banned substance at the Tokyo Olympics, costing the team its silver medal. Racing officials later ruled that the additive had caused the failed test. He returned to racing in 2024, but has not raced since April 2025.
Crypto scams have changed dramatically social status and fraud process that fraud Victims intentionally leave access to wallets or money transfers. Blockchain security firm Scam Sniffer said approx 4,700 wallets were drained through fraud threats in January alone. In April, Elon Musk’s X he rolled over innovation that aims to stop crypto-related crimes in the area.
UK police have warned citizens to be wary of unexpected calls or messages asking for bag details.
“The police will not call you out of the blue about your crypto or ask you to find your cold storage equipment – this is a huge red flag,” the official wrote. “No official company or police officer will ask for your statement.”
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