A 23-year-old Brooklyn resident has been charged with stealing roughly $16 million in cryptocurrency from around 100 Coinbase users through an alleged phishing and social engineering scheme, prosecutors said Friday.
Key Takeaways:
Prosecutors say a Brooklyn man stole about $16M in crypto by posing as a Coinbase employee.
The alleged scheme relied on social engineering, with funds laundered through mixers, swaps and crypto gambling sites.
Authorities seized some assets, set bail at $500,000, and say efforts to recover more funds are ongoing.
According to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, Ronald Spektor posed as a Coinbase representative and contacted victims under the pretense that their digital assets were at immediate risk.
Using that claim, Spektor allegedly pressured users into transferring cryptocurrency to wallets under his control.
Alleged Crypto Scammer Used Panic Tactics to Target Victims
Prosecutors said Spektor operated online under the alias “lolimfeelingevil” and relied on classic social engineering tactics rather than technical exploits.
Victims were told their funds could be stolen by hackers unless they acted quickly, a strategy authorities say was used to bypass skepticism and trigger panic-driven decisions.
Once the cryptocurrency was transferred, Spektor allegedly attempted to obscure the trail of funds by routing assets through cryptocurrency mixers, token-swapping services and crypto gambling platforms.
Investigators said these steps were intended to complicate recovery efforts and hide the origin of the stolen funds.
Spektor was arraigned Friday on 31 charges, including first-degree grand larceny, first-degree money laundering and participating in a scheme to defraud.
The charges follow a year-long investigation by the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office.
As part of the probe, authorities seized approximately $105,000 in cash and about $400,000 in digital assets.
Prosecutors said efforts are ongoing to recover additional funds believed to be tied to the alleged scheme.
Investigators also pointed to Spektor’s online activity as evidence. Prosecutors said he “openly bragged about his heists” in a Telegram channel called “Blockchain enemies.”
In recovered messages, Spektor allegedly claimed he lost $6 million in cryptocurrency through gambling, offering a rare glimpse into how the stolen funds may have been handled after the thefts.
Spektor lives with his father in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, prosecutors said.
A judge set bail at $500,000, according to ABC7 New York, and denied a request to allow Spektor’s father to post bond, citing concerns over the source of the funds.
One victim reportedly contacted the blockchain investigator ZachXBT, who published an investigation last year into the alleged scam. According to that report, the individual claimed to have lost $6 million.
Coinbase Security Concerns Resurface After $400M Data Breach Disclosure
The case comes as Coinbase continues to face scrutiny over user security.
Earlier this year, the exchange disclosed a data breach impacting nearly 70,000 users, estimating damages of around $400 million.
Coinbase said it reimbursed affected customers and strengthened internal controls following the incident.
Spektor lives with his father in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, prosecutors said.
A judge set bail at $500,000, according to ABC7 New York, and denied a request to allow Spektor’s father to post bond, citing concerns over the source of the funds.
Coinbase said it worked closely with the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office and its Virtual Currency Unit throughout the investigation.
In a blog post, the exchange said it helped identify both the suspect and victims, shared on-chain data linked to the alleged scheme and assisted authorities in tracing stolen assets.
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