💸 The Coinbase impersonator who stole $16 million

Ronald Spektor, 23, called Coinbase users pretending to be exchange support, warned them of a hacker, and guided them into moving funds to a wallet he controlled. Classic social engineering — $15,944,000 taken from roughly 100 victims across the US.

The money dissolved through exchanges into cash and gift cards; much of it went to crypto gambling. Spektor's own messages admit he lost $6 million at online casinos. He also ran a Telegram channel bragging about the thefts — apparently unbothered by irony.

Blockchain investigator ZachXBT named him in November 2024. He pleaded guilty to all 31 counts; the judge sentenced him to four to 12 years over prosecutors' objection. Restitution: nearly $16 million. Some of the money is still missing.

Decrypt