World’s most wanted woman now has a bounty of £4,000,000 on her head

Imagine being so dangerous that the FBI would pay out £4,000,000 for your capture.

That's the case for a missing cryptoqueen dubbed the 'world's most wanted woman.'

Ruja Ignatova, who was born in Bulgaria but has German citizenship, is wanted by the FBI for a number of crimes - including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit securities fraud and securities fraud.

Starting in 2014, the 43-year-old participated in one of the biggest cryptocurrency scams of all time, selling a fake cryptocoin called OneCoin to investors.

Ruja Ignatova is on the FBI's Most Wanted list for running one of the biggest cryptocurrency scams in history. (BBC)

According to the FBI: "Ignatova allegedly made false statements and representations to individuals in order to solicit investments in One Coin.

"She allegedly instructed victims to transmit investment funds to OneCoin accounts in order to purchase OneCoin packages, causing victims to send wire transfers representing these investments."

The scam is believed to have conned victims out of more than $4 billion (£3.3 billion).

Ignatova disappeared back in 2017. She was last seen boarding a flight from Sofia to Athens on 25 October 2017, after fleeing from her boyfriend's flat upon learning we was cooperating with the FBI.

She's been on the FBI's Most Wanted list since 2022.

The scam is believed to have conned victims out of more than $4 billion. (Getty Stock Image)

Initially, FBI officials offered a bounty of $100,000 (£79,000) for information on the criminal, but on Wednesday (26 June) this was increased to $5 million (£4 million).

"We are offering a reward up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of German national Ruja Ignatova, known as 'Cryptoqueen,' for her role in one of the largest global fraud schemes in history," said US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.

She is currently the only woman targeted by the US State Department’s Transnational Organised Crime Reward Program.

Her Most Wanted poster warns: "Ignatova is believed to travel with armed guards and/or associates."

It also states that she 'may have had plastic surgery or otherwise altered her appearance'.

There is currently a £4 million bounty for information leading to her arrest. (BBC)

A recently released documentary by the BBC questions where Ruja Ignatova may be.

The synopsis for The Missing Cryptoqueen: Dead or Alive reads: "CEO of fake cryptocurrency OneCoin, Ruja Ignatova, is the FBI’s most wanted woman. She stole billions, then vanished. New evidence reveals what may have happened. Is she missing or was she murdered?"

While the FBI believes she may be using a German passport to travel between the UAE and Eastern Europe, there is also speculation that she may have been murdered by the Bulgarian mafia, the suspected masterminds of the OneCoin scheme.

UK viewers can watch The Missing Cryptoqueen: Dead or Alive on BBC iPlayer, while those outside of the UK can catch it on YouTube.