An in-person meeting plus peeking at private keys—this combination of moves is pretty dirty, but seeing the 1.9 million property seizure is satisfying.

Police in France’s Var department investigated for one year and arrested a mother and son suspected of carrying out a “Rip Deal” (false sales) scam. The scam group, claiming that an agent for a wealthy businessman wanted to buy a villa, lured a wealthy couple from Ramatuelle to Milan and required them to pay a €1.5 million “sales fee guarantee” in the form of cryptocurrency. The fraudsters used hidden cameras to steal the victims’ accounts and private keys, then quickly emptied the accounts’ funds. Police arrested the suspects in Cavalaire-sur-Mer and seized a property worth €1.9 million. The suspects have multiple prior fraud convictions and will go on trial in court on September 1, facing charges including fraud by an organized group.