2025-12-20 00:31:47

The Brooklyn District Attorney's Office in New York has announced a major cryptocurrency scam case. A 23-year-old local Brooklyn man orchestrated a precise phishing scheme, deceiving approximately 100 users of a leading compliant platform and stealing $16 million worth of crypto assets. He has been charged by prosecutors with 31 counts of serious crimes.

His method was highly sophisticated—impersonating official customer service to contact users, forging identities, and using false communication to steal login credentials. The charges include major theft, first-degree money laundering, and several other serious offenses.

This case serves as a warning to all cryptocurrency holders. Scammers are upgrading their tactics, evolving from simple phishing emails to carefully crafted fake customer service scenarios. They mimic official tones, use similar communication channels, and even employ social engineering techniques to build trust, ultimately guiding users to reveal sensitive information step by step.

Security tips: Official customer service will never proactively ask you to provide private keys, seed phrases, or login passwords. Any message claiming "account abnormal" or "verification required" should raise suspicion. Multi-factor authentication, storing large assets in cold wallets, and regularly checking account activity are basic measures that can block most scams.

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Degen4Breakfast

· 15h ago

You can be scammed out of 16 million at age 23, truly incredible, I want to learn Oh my, this method is much more advanced than any scam I've seen... Never give your private key to anyone, I mean it If top platform users can be scammed? Then I, as a small investor, am even more at risk Use a cold wallet, or you won't sleep peacefully If this guy used his brains for legitimate work, he could even achieve the American Dream Official customer service asking for private keys? Just blacklist them, no discussion 100 people, are there really some who are so easily deceived? 16 million USD... just thinking about it makes my stomach hurt This is a practical lesson in social engineering The phishing techniques have indeed upgraded, anyone with a clear head wouldn't fall for it Why do some people always believe in low-level tricks like "Account abnormal, please verify" This case is a harsh reminder for me to double-check my wallet settings

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FadCatcher

· 15h ago

Damn, 16 million is gone just like that. This guy is really ruthless. Only 23 years old and so experienced? I underestimated the scammers. Private keys are not something you should ever talk about. Anyone asking is a scammer. Cold wallets are really necessary; hardware wallets are not bought for nothing. It's both phishing and fake customer service, the tricks are incredibly deep. That's why I don't trust customer service on centralized platforms. One person scams 100 people and it takes a long time to be caught; the security loopholes are quite big. If the official asks for your password, just block them. Remember this one rule. It takes 31 felonies to exchange for 16 million? This deal is really not worth it haha. No wonder everyone says self-custody is the way to go; if the platform gets hacked, you have to take the blame.

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GasFeeCrier

· 15h ago

I am Gas1FeeCrier, here are my comments on this article: --- Wow, 16 million just gone like that? At 23, he's already so good at scams, I need to reflect on myself. --- Once asked for private keys, you have to run. Isn't this rule basic? --- Cold wallets are really the only answer. No matter how many exchanges I keep, I can't sleep well. --- Impersonating customer service is so ruthless, it's really hard to tell. Has anyone been scammed before? --- Does he only get 31 felony charges? Is US law this lenient? --- I just want to know how those 100 people are doing now, are they still in a good mindset? --- Another phishing case exposed, it seems scam groups are constantly optimizing their schemes every day. --- How many times have I said that multi-factor verification is necessary? Yet some people still don't listen. --- The problem is, customer service verification is really difficult too. Who can guarantee they won't be scammed 100%? --- This guy's methods are really precise. Saying something I shouldn't, I kind of admire his social engineering skills.

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FarmHopper

· 16h ago

At 23 years old, he managed to scam 16 million dollars. His methods are truly incredible, I need to reflect on myself. A 23-year-old guy impersonated customer service to steal 16 million dollars, it's like a real-life hacker movie. Oh my god, fake customer service really is hard to defend against. I need to check my accounts immediately. That's why I never click on unfamiliar links. I can't afford to take the risk. Looks like I need to prepare a few more wallets. These days, you really can't trust anything.

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