In a disturbing case of deception and theft, a Scottsdale, Arizona man has been arrested for allegedly posing as an Uber driver to carry out a $300,000 cryptocurrency heist. The authorities revealed that Nuruhussein Hussein lured two unsuspecting passengers outside the W Hotel in Scottsdale in separate incidents, manipulating them into trusting him, and subsequently robbing them of their crypto assets.
According to reports, the incidents occurred in March and October of this year, with Hussein using clever tactics to gain access to the victims’ phones. He would initially present himself as the Uber driver they had called, engaging with them on a personal level by referring to them by name. This tactic was apparently effective, as both victims willingly entered his vehicle.
Once inside, Hussein asked to borrow the victims’ phones, claiming his own device was broken. One of his strategies involved offering to assist with the Uber app when passengers questioned the status of their ride. Unfortunately, this trust was misplaced, as Hussein seized the opportunity to access their Coinbase accounts through phone-to-phone transfers and transferred significant amounts of cryptocurrency to other wallets.
The altercations turned threatening when one of the victims began to suspect foul play and requested their phone back. Hussein allegedly warned them to “chill or something bad would happen,” heightening the alarming nature of this crime. Following an investigation by the Scottsdale Police Department and agents from the U.S. Secret Service, Hussein was arrested on December 11.
During the court proceedings, the authorities successfully argued for a $200,000 secured cash bond, alongside electronic monitoring, should Hussein post bail. Furthermore, there have been stringent travel restrictions placed on him to prevent fleeing or destroying evidence. This case underscores a troubling trend, as reports indicate a rise in offline crypto theft incidents globally, drawing attention to the potential dangers that cryptocurrency users face.
