After reportedly stealing $300,000 worth of cryptocurrencies from two unwary passengers in two different occasions, a guy in Scottsdale, Arizona, who was impersonating an Uber driver was taken into custody.
The suspect, Nuruhussein Hussein, allegedly committed the robberies outside the W Hotel in Scottsdale in March and October, according to Fox10 Phoenix. In order to win the victims’ trust, Hussein allegedly posed as the Uber driver they had asked for, even referring to them by name.
Scammers took advantage of phone access
Hussein allegedly coerced the passengers into giving over their phones when they got inside his car. At one point, he said his phone was broken and asked to use theirs instead. In another instance, when the passengers saw that the Uber app had not verified their travel, he volunteered to “fix” a purported bug.
Hussein is charged with gaining access to the victims’ Coinbase accounts and moving their cryptocurrency to his own cold storage wallet while he was in possession of the phones. How he got the passengers’ names to prove his credibility is still being looked into by authorities.
In one instance, Hussein threatened a suspicious passenger who demanded their phone back, telling them to “chill or something bad would happen.”
Charges and Arrest
Working with the U.S. Secret Service, Scottsdale police investigators apprehended Hussein on December 11. He is charged with several offenses, including as money laundering, fraud, and theft. A $200,000 cash bond was obtained by the prosecution, with the requirement that he be monitored electronically upon his release.
Hussein has also been prohibited from using the internet and traveling abroad because of worries that he would escape to Ethiopia, which he allegedly visits regularly. While investigations continue, his next court date is set for December 18.
Crypto Thefts Offline Are Increasing
Offline bitcoin thefts are becoming more common, and this case is part of that trend. GitHub reports that there have been at least 19 occurrences worldwide in 2024, which is much lower than the 32 cases that were reported in 2021 but slightly more than the 17 cases that were reported in 2023.
When an unidentified caller tried to extort 1,000 Bitcoin from cryptographer Hal Finney in 2014, it was one of the most prominent instances of crypto theft.
The Bitcoin ATM was later discovered burnt in a park after criminals in Melbourne, Australia, broke into a shopping mall on December 3.
Five people were fined $5 million by a California court last week for their roles in IcomTech’s illegal Bitcoin Ponzi scheme, which is another well-known instance. The defendants were convicted of defrauding 190 investors out of approximately $8.4 million by operating a fraudulent bitcoin trading scheme.
Authorities keep reminding people to be cautious and protect their digital assets since cybercrimes are getting more complex.
