🟠A 23-year-old from Cardiff, Haroon Zaman, has been sentenced to 3 years and 8 months in prison after running a social-media crypto scam that drained £124,000 from at least 17 victims.
🟠His method was painfully effective. He hacked real social media accounts, impersonated their owners, and promoted “risk-free” crypto investment opportunities to friends and followers. No trading. No investing. Just straight theft.
🟠Victims were convinced they were sending funds into legitimate crypto plays. In reality, the money went directly into Zaman’s pockets between January 2021 and June 2023.
🟠Investigators confirmed there were no investments at all — just fabricated promises and stolen trust. Authorities described his actions as showing “complete disregard” for the damage caused.
🟠The case was cracked through joint work between South Wales Police and the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit, finally putting an offline end to an online scam.
🤝 Crypto scams don’t always end with a rug and silence — sometimes they end with a prison sentence.
But the lesson stays the same: “risk-free returns” on social media are almost always a lie.