Crypto Scammers Turn Toward Terrorism With a Japanese Bomb Threat

Crypto terrorists threatened to bomb a government office on the Japanese island of Hokkaido. They told authorities that they would only disable the alleged explosive device if their crypto ransom was paid.

According to FNN, the terrorists sent the Numata Town Hall an email stating they had installed a bomb in a women’s second-floor toilet. They claimed that as long as officials met their payment demands before 03:00 UTC on June 29, the bomb would not be detonated. 

However, this appears to have been a fake threat. The deadline set by the criminals has passed and the hall remains intact without any further suspicious activity as of press time. Authorities stated that the email arrived during the week of July 20.

Terrorists launching crypto scams

Locals and people working inside the building claim that they did not notice any suspicious movements from strangers. This seems to reinforce suspicions that the crypto scam relied on a terrorist threat as a way to pressure the government into paying the ransom.

In other crypto scam cases in Japan, the ongoing pandemic forced the postponement of the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

This has triggered a series of online crypto-related scams, including an email from alleged members of the International Olympic Committee. In these emails, scammers ask unsuspecting victims for donations in Bitcoin (BTC) across the country, as Cointelegraph reported on April 30.