A short visit to London ended in major losses for a US tourist who unknowingly gave a fake Uber driver access to his crypto accounts, according to a May 21 report by MyLondon.
Jacob Irwin-Cline, from Portland, Oregon, had just finished a night out at The Roxy nightclub in Soho on May 9. After leaving around 1:30 AM, he called an Uber to get back.
Footage later showed he had entered the wrong vehicle. Irwin-Cline also noted that he accepted a cigarette when offered by the driver.
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He believes the cigarette was laced with a drug called scopolamine, which can cause confusion and make people more open to suggestion.
Under its influence, Irwin-Cline shared his phone’s passcode. The driver used this to access his Revolut app, which was linked to his crypto wallets. By the time Irwin-Cline was left alone in an unfamiliar part of London, the attacker had already transferred large amounts of digital currency from his accounts.
Irwin-Cline mentioned that he attempted to obtain toxicology results from the hospital and the police, but was told that no tests had been conducted.
According to police, the person did not hack into any systems. They used the unlocked phone and direct access to get into the wallets. About $123,000 worth of cryptocurrency was taken, including $50,000 in Bitcoin
This kind of theft is sometimes called a “wrench attack”, where someone gains access to digital assets through physical pressure rather than digital methods.
Meanwhile, on May 13, four men attempted to abduct the daughter and grandson of Paymium’s CEO in central Paris. What was their motive? Read the full story.
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