Share this article
Canadians Charged for $220,000 Bitcoin Scam on Twitter
Two Canadian nationals posed as HitBTC customer service representatives in order to steal a user's login credentials.
By Daniel Kuhn
Updated Sep 13, 2021, 11:22 a.m. Published Aug 23, 2019, 2:01 p.m.
Two Canadian nationals have been indicted for scheming to steal bitcoin from an Oregon resident.
Karanjit and Jagroop Singh Khatkar of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, posed as customer service representatives of HitBTC, a Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency exchange, in order to steal login credentials of a target’s account.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
According to a statement from the Attorney’s Office of the District of Oregon, the fraudsters created a Twitter account called @HitBTCAssist to respond to the victim’s questions online. Using information they phished from customers, Karanjit and Jagroop were able to withdraw approximately $233,220 in bitcoin from the victim’s account.
Initially, 23.2 bitcoin were transfered from HitBTC to Karanjit’s account at a separate crypto exchange Kraken. Then, Karanjit transferred half that amount into Jagroops Kraken wallet.
Following an sting by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Karanjit was arrested at the McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 18. He was detained ahead of a trial set for October 8.
"Jagroop Singh Khatkar remains at large and is believed to be in Canada," wrote federal agents.
Phishing photo via Shutterstock
More For You
KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.
What to know:
- KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
- This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
- Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
- Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
- Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.
More For You
BONK jumps more than 10% in 24 hours as momentum pushes price higher
The Solana-based token passed through a key technical level before easing back into consolidation.
What to know:
- BONK rose about 10.6% to trade near $0.00000833, extending a short-term rebound.
- Trading activity increased during the advance, coinciding with a move above $0.00000820.
- The price later pulled back, leaving the token in a consolidation range just below $0.00000840.
Top Stories
