SIMONE DEL ROSARIO: HER MAJESTY NOW HAS THREE NFTs AFTER BRITISH AUTHORITIES SEIZED NON FUNGIBLE TOKENS FOR THE FIRST TIME.
OFFICIALS AT HER MAJESTY’S REVENUES AND CUSTOMS SAY THE SEIZURE IS PART OF AN INVESTIGATION INTO A 1.4 MILLION POUND TAX FRAUD CASE. THAT’S ABOUT 1.9 MILLION DOLLARS.
BRITAIN’S TAX WATCHDOG SAID IT’S THE FIRST UK LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY TO SEIZE NFTs. THEY ALSO TOOK FIVE THOUSAND POUNDS WORTH OF CRYPTO ASSETS. THEY HAVEN’T YET APPRAISED THE THREE DIGITAL ARTWORK PIECES NOW IN THEIR POSSESSION.
THEY’VE ARRESTED THREE PEOPLE ACCUSED OF DEFRAUDING THE AGENCY BY CLAIMING MORE SALES TAX REIMBURSEMENT THAN THEY WERE OWED. HMRC SAYS THE HEIST INVOLVED 250 ALLEGED FAKE COMPANIES, STOLEN IDENTITIES AND FAKE INVOICES.
IN A STATEMENT SENT TO STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC CRIME NICK SHARP SAID, “OUR FIRST SEIZURE OF A NON-FUNGIBLE TOKEN SERVES AS A WARNING TO ANYONE WHO THINKS THEY CAN USE CRYPTOASSETS TO HIDE MONEY FROM H-M-R-C.”
THE NEWS COMES ABOUT A WEEK AFTER THE U-S SEIZED 3.6 BILLION DOLLARS IN BITCOIN – ALLEGEDLY STOLEN IN A 2016 HACK. I’M SIMONE DEL ROSARIO FROM NEW YORK IT’S JUST BUSINESS.