In London, a scammer disguised as an Uber cab driver stole $123 000 in cryptocurrency from a US tourist

The victim denies the version of a planned attack

In London, a fake Uber driver stole $123 000 in bitcoins and XRP from a US tourist

21.05.2025 - 15:35

3 min

What’s new? In London, a fraudster in the guise of a cab driver stole from a tourist from the United States $123 000 in cryptocurrencies. Thus, Jacob Irwin-Cline from Portland, Oregon, called Uber to The Roxy nightclub in Soho on May 9 but got into the wrong car. Surveillance cameras revealed that he got into a dark sedan rather than the Toyota Prius listed on his Uber app, with the driver knowing his name.

Material by MyLondon

What else is known? The driver then offered the tourist a cigarette, allegedly containing the powerful sedative drug scopolamine. Under its influence, Irwin-Cline unwittingly provided his phone password and access to crypto accounts, after which the driver abandoned him in an unfamiliar London neighborhood.

Authorities later confirmed that the attacker gained access to the wallet immediately after logging into an online banking account with Revolut.

Irwin-Cline estimates his total cryptocurrency losses at $123 000, including $72 000 in XRP tokens, about $50 000 in bitcoins, and several smaller positions in altcoins.

Hacker tried to access Ledger users’ seed phrases through a Discord server

On behalf of a moderator, he published fake news about the company’s security hack

On May 13, an attempted kidnapping of a crypto company CEO’s daughter and her 2-year-old child took place in Paris. Armed criminals tried to force them into a car, but the husband’s intervention prevented the kidnapping. This is the fifth such case in the country since the beginning of the year. The case has been handed over to the Special Gang Unit.

In 2025, attacks on crypto company executives are on the rise, more than 20 attacks have been recorded around the world. Victims are kidnapped, threatened families, and in some cases, cut off fingers to access wallets.

Coinbase exchange spent $6,2 million to protect the head of Brian Armstrong, at Robinhood, and Circle costs for the protection of top management amounted to $1,6 and $0,8 million, respectively.

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