How a Scammer Stole $300,000 Worth of Crypto by Impersonating Uber Drivers

A man pretending to be an Uber driver was arrested after allegedly stealing $300,000 worth of cryptocurrency from two passengers in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The Scottsdale Police Department claims that Nuruhussein Hussein onboarded the passengers in front of a local hotel by posing as the Uber they had ordered. He even went so far as to address them by name, according to a recent Fox10 Phoenix report.

The report does not explain how Hussein knew the passengers’ names or that they had ordered Uber rides. The investigation is still ongoing.

With the passengers inside, he asked the alleged victims if he could borrow their phone and claimed that his was broken. In one case, he offered to check the passenger’s Uber app to check why it indicated that the driver had not yet arrived at the pickup spot.

Phone in hand, Hussein reportedly emptied the victim’s Coinbase accounts, transferring the funds to an address he controlled. When one of the passengers became suspicious of his activities on their phone, he allegedly told them to “chill or something bad would happen.”

U.S. Secret Service agents arrested Hussein on Dec. 11 and charged him with theft, fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors requested—and obtained—a secured cash bond set at $200,000. If he’s able to pay for his release, he’ll be subject to electronic monitoring.

Hussein is also barred from accessing the internet or overseas travel due to concerns that he could destroy evidence or flee to Ethiopia—where he frequently travels. He is scheduled to be back in court on Dec. 18.

A GitHub repository maintained by cypherpunk Jameson Lopp lists 19 incidents of crypto robberies that took place offline all over the world in 2024. It’s just about level with the 17 incidents reported in 2023, but also a major decrease compared to the 32 incidents listed in 2022.

Some recent incidents include the abduction of Dean Skurka, CEO of Toronto-based crypto firm WonderFi Technologies in November. Unknown suspects forced Skurka into a vehicle during rush hour, demanding a $720,000 ransom for his release—and then released him after it was paid.

Also in November, a Ukrainian man became the latest crypto holder to fall victim to a “$5 wrench attack” after being robbed of 250,000 in USDT. A local news outlet reported that he was restrained with cable ties in a hotel and intimidated with weapons until he authorized the transfer.

Edited by Stacy Elliott.