Police in Scottsdale, Arizona, have arrested a man who pretended to be an Uber driver. He’s accused of stealing over $300,000 in cryptocurrency from unsuspecting passengers.
According to NBC News, Nuruhussein Hussein was taken into custody on Wednesday. He faces serious charges: two counts of money laundering, two counts of fraudulent schemes, and two counts of theft.
From March to December this year, Hussein allegedly picked up passengers at a hotel, posing as a rideshare driver. He would borrow his victims' phones, claiming he needed to check directions or log into the Uber app. But his real goal was to steal cryptocurrency from their digital wallets.
The police explained, “While manipulating the unsuspecting victim’s phone, the suspect transferred cryptocurrency from their digital wallet to his digital wallet.” This tactic shows how clever and deceptive he was.
Hussein reportedly stole more than $300,000 from his victims. One of them even described a threatening encounter where he told them to “chill or something bad would happen.”
His bail is set at $200,000. If released, he must wear an electronic monitor and is banned from using the internet. He also has to stay in Maricopa County because prosecutors worry he might flee to Ethiopia, where he frequently travels.