Brooklyn man Ronald Spektor charged with fraud for impersonating Coinbase customer service

The Brooklyn District Attorney in New York announced that 23-year-old Brooklyn man Ronald Spektor has been charged with wire fraud for conducting phishing scams by impersonating Coinbase customer support, allegedly stealing $16 million worth of cryptocurrency from approximately 100 Coinbase users. He has been charged with 31 counts, including major theft and first-degree money laundering. Prosecutors stated that Spektor lured victims into transferring funds by claiming their accounts were hacked, and attempted to launder money through mixers, asset exchanges, and crypto gambling platforms. The investigation has been ongoing for a year, and authorities have recovered $105,000 in cash and $400,000 in crypto assets, with further recovery efforts underway. Previously, Coinbase disclosed a data breach affecting nearly 70,000 users, with estimated losses of up to $400 million. (Decrypt)