An American tourist was drugged and robbed by a fake Uber driver in London. Losses in crypto amounting to $123,000. No arrests so far.
A US citizen claims that, under the influence of a substance contained in a cigarette offered to him by the driver, he revealed the passwords to his phone and crypto wallet.
A US tourist has reported losing more than $120,000 in cryptocurrencies after being kidnapped and robbed by a fake Uber driver in central London, according to a report in the British newspaper MyLondon, which cites the victim's testimony and police data. The incident occurred after the tourist had left a club in the Soho area.
According to the American Jacob Irvine-Klein, after drinking in the club, he did not realise that the car that arrived to pick him up was different from the one shown on the Uber app. However, the driver knew his Uber alias and offered him a cigarette, which according to the tourist probably contained scopolamine, a substance that causes loss of control while maintaining consciousness.
Camera footage from the venue confirmed that the tourist got into a 'dark sedan' and not the Toyota Prius that Uber was supposed to provide. It also later emerged that Irvine-Klein's ride had been cancelled by someone else on the app.
Well the Uber scam you just highlighted is a perfect example of why the fin sector is the way it is. https://t.co/CqEPjwN2f2
American tourist drugged and robbed of $123.000 in crypto after an Uber ride abroad
Presumably under the influence of drugs, the tourist revealed his phone password, allowing the attacker to access the crypto wallet. According to Irvine-Klein, he then 'lost consciousness for 20-30 minutes' and, once he had recovered, the driver asked him to get out and open the boot, and then drove off, leaving him in an unknown area without a phone.
According to Decrypt, the authorities later verified that the attackers had also hacked into his account on the Revolut app, thus gaining access to the wallet. The total amount stolen, according to Irvine-Klein, was approximately $123,000, including $72,000 in XRP tokens and $50,000 in Bitcoin.
At the moment, no one has been arrested and the investigation is still ongoing. Uber has promised to investigate the incident.
Irvine-Klein, a former software developer, claims to have traced the stolen funds to two wallets on the MEXC and BTSE exchanges. However, according to him, it is almost impossible to recover them.
This year alone, more than 20 cases of kidnapping or attacks to steal cryptocurrency have already been recorded. Security experts point out that crypto companies' heavy investments in cybersecurity may increase the offline risks: hacking digital systems has become so difficult that it is easier for criminals to move on to physical attacks against digital asset owners.
MetaMask dominates the crypto wallet market with over 60 per cent share, explores new strategies, including a token and innovations to stay competitive.
A US citizen claims that, under the influence of a substance contained in a cigarette offered to him by the driver, he revealed the passwords to his phone and crypto wallet.
A US tourist has reported losing more than $120,000 in cryptocurrencies after being kidnapped and robbed by a fake Uber driver in central London, according to a report in the British newspaper MyLondon, which cites the victim's testimony and police data. The incident occurred after the tourist had left a club in the Soho area.
According to the American Jacob Irvine-Klein, after drinking in the club, he did not realise that the car that arrived to pick him up was different from the one shown on the Uber app. However, the driver knew his Uber alias and offered him a cigarette, which according to the tourist probably contained scopolamine, a substance that causes loss of control while maintaining consciousness.
Camera footage from the venue confirmed that the tourist got into a 'dark sedan' and not the Toyota Prius that Uber was supposed to provide. It also later emerged that Irvine-Klein's ride had been cancelled by someone else on the app.
American tourist drugged and robbed of $123.000 in crypto after an Uber ride abroad
Presumably under the influence of drugs, the tourist revealed his phone password, allowing the attacker to access the crypto wallet. According to Irvine-Klein, he then 'lost consciousness for 20-30 minutes' and, once he had recovered, the driver asked him to get out and open the boot, and then drove off, leaving him in an unknown area without a phone.
According to Decrypt, the authorities later verified that the attackers had also hacked into his account on the Revolut app, thus gaining access to the wallet. The total amount stolen, according to Irvine-Klein, was approximately $123,000, including $72,000 in XRP tokens and $50,000 in Bitcoin.
At the moment, no one has been arrested and the investigation is still ongoing. Uber has promised to investigate the incident.
Irvine-Klein, a former software developer, claims to have traced the stolen funds to two wallets on the MEXC and BTSE exchanges. However, according to him, it is almost impossible to recover them.
This year alone, more than 20 cases of kidnapping or attacks to steal cryptocurrency have already been recorded. Security experts point out that crypto companies' heavy investments in cybersecurity may increase the offline risks: hacking digital systems has become so difficult that it is easier for criminals to move on to physical attacks against digital asset owners.
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