Inside the ‘Insta-bragging’ Bitcoin traders and influencers raided by gangs after flaunting wealth on social media
CRIMINAL gangs are targeting so-called “Insta-bragging” Bitcoin traders and influencers after they have flaunted their wealth on social media.
While many people cultivate an apparent opulent and glamorous lifestyle - wrapped in excessive wealth and abundant luxury - it can draw the attention of robbers as well as adoring fans.
Experts believe around 8 per cent of people could be targeted by criminals due to what they share on social media - even using picture to pick out loot, or to find entry points to people's homes.
And meanwhile its believed 78 per cent of burglars use social media to case potential victims.
In the most high-profile case, Kim Kardashian was targeted while she was staying in a Paris apartment in October 2016.
The gang, dressed as cops, entered the apartment on Paris' Rue Tronchet after unwittingly allowed into the complex by a concierge - apparently after the £3.5million engagement ring she had recently revealed on Instagram.
They broke in and then two of them held a gun at the reality TV star, before also tying her hands together and then locking her in a bathroom.
And Kim is by no means alone in getting targeted by the cruel crooks, with one of the most harrowing home invasions happening to influencer So Mei-yan.
She and her baby were tied up at knife point in a terrifying £400,000 robbery after she flaunted her wealth online.
She claimed three knife-wielding men burst into her Hong Kong home and tied her up along with her six-month-old son and his nanny in November 2020.
The robbers initially searched for cash in the property but when they couldn’t find any they seized her luxury items which she says were worth hundreds of thousands.
Mei-yan said one of the intruders was "rubbing her son's forehead with force", which prompted her to ask them to stop and 'take whatever they wanted.'
The robbers then bound her and the child's helper up with adhesive tape and bundled them into the babies room, where one stood guard and the other two searched the flat.
It is thought that the robbers could have been alerted to her large array of wealth via her social media account where she is famous for flaunting her goods.
Mei-yan, also known as Cry So or So Miu -miu has amassed 86,000 followers on Instagram and has become famous for showing off her luxury lifestyle.
And she she used her virtual fame to appeal to her thousands of followers for help to bring the robbers to justice and offered £194,000 as an incentive.
Cryptocurrency trader Kieren Hamilton was stabbed and robbed by a machete-wielding gang after he had boasted about his lifestyle on Instagram.
The two-masked robbers raided his Greater Manchester home in November 2018 and demanded his valuables.
He was stabbed in the arm before the robbers escaped with his dog worth an estimated £1,000, his Apple MacBook laptop, gold bracelets and a gold wedding ring.
He claimed he was making £50,000 a month through his cryptocurrency trading and his Instagram and Twitter profiles were full of spectacular pictures of holiday snaps, bulging shopping bags, sports cars, champagne, Rolex watches and a new set of whitened teeth.
Conventional financial and Bitcoin traders who flaunt their supposed lavish lifestyles have been branded the “Wolves of Instagram” with the name coming from the film “Wolf of Wall Street”.
Known as the "acrobat thieves", the gang in Milan examined photos posted on Instagram to get access to the homes of wealthy people and work out what loot they could snaffle.
Among their victims were TV host Diletta Leotta, influencer Eleonora Incardona and PSG fullback Achraf Hakimi.
Leotta lost around £132,000 worth of belongings including designer handbags and Rolex watches, while Incardona saw tens of thousands of euros worth of designer goods pinched.
Italian police the gang would use Instagram to select their targets, work out their addresses and then study windows to gain entry by scaling the sides of buildings.
According to a report carried out by home interiors firm Hillarys, one in 12 Brits have reported a burglary after posting on social media, with more than half admitting they had location tagging turned on.
Hillarys spokesperson Tara Hall said: “Social media is a great tool for people to connect and share the things that they’re interested in, however it’s important to be aware of oversharing sensitive information such as your location for security reasons.”
Another report by alarm and security firm ADT revealed that 78 per cent of burglars use sites like Facebook and Twitter to find potential properties.
Experts have also warned about “Insta-bragging,” saying that posting boastful images on social media could invalidate your contents insurance policy.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
This is because most insurers include a "reasonable care" clause which, although related to ensuring windows and doors are locked, could in future extend to being responsible for what is shared on social media.