Key Takeaways
- Africypt owners vanish along with stolen $3.6 billion in crypto.
- Investors went to Hanekom Attorneys to further with legal procedures.
- Ameer Cajee told investors Africrypt had been hacked and stolen from.
- The case has been reported to global financial authorities— FCSA, SARB, and the Hawks.
South African crypto exchange, Africrypt, owned by brothers Raees and Ameer, had just been the site of what appears to be another crypto crime. Users on Africrypt had first noticed missing assets on the exchange; this then followed with the disappearance of both brothers.
Not only are they missing, but so are the stolen assets.
The case of the stolen assets was first reported in April. However, Ameer had announced that the company’s system was hacked, leading to the theft. Before this, employees of the platform were denied access to the platform.
Ameer further advised that investors not report the case as it would delay the recovery of the stolen assets. Some investors did not heed and proceeded to seek the services of local law firm Hanekom Attorneys.
However, before much effort could be put into the case, both men had already left without a trace. Hanekom Attorneys could only issue information to other exchanges in hopes of tracing the assets.
Furthermore, Hanekom Attorneys discovered the stolen assets were sent out through “tumblers and mixers,” making them impossible to track.
The exchange service provider itself has been unable to be contacted as all calls are going into voicemail.
According to Moneyweb, investigators were suspicious about the alleged hack since the brothers had disappeared to the UK only days after the assets were stolen.
So far, Hanekom Attorneys have reported the matter to Financial Sector Conduct Authorities, the Hawks and the South African Reserve Bank.
However, due to lack of jurisdiction, the FSCA has not yet initiated proper investigations, but they are finding a way around it.
Do you think the stolen crypto will ever be recovered?
