Scottsdale detectives, alongside U.S. Secret Service agents, arrested a man on December 11 for his alleged role in a $300,000 cryptocurrency theft. The suspect, identified as Nuruhussein Hussein, is accused of posing as an Uber driver to lure victims and gain access to their phones.
Details of the Alleged Crypto Heist
Authorities claim Hussein targeted two victims outside the W Hotel in Scottsdale, Arizona, in separate incidents in March and October. Pretending to be the Uber driver they had ordered, Hussein reportedly gained their trust by calling them by name.
Once inside his vehicle, Hussein allegedly asked to borrow his passengers’ phones, citing issues with his own device. In another instance, he offered to “fix” the Uber app on the victim’s phone after they questioned why it still showed their ride hadn’t arrived. While holding the victims’ phones, Hussein allegedly transferred funds from their Coinbase accounts to cold storage using a phone-to-phone crypto transfer.
Victims Threatened During the Incident
Prosecutors allege that when one of the victims became suspicious and demanded their phone back, Hussein responded with threats, telling them to “chill or something bad would happen.” It remains unclear how Hussein obtained the victims’ names beforehand, a detail police are still investigating.
Arrest and Charges
Hussein was taken into custody by Scottsdale police and U.S. Secret Service agents. He faces multiple charges, including theft, fraud, and money laundering.
Prosecutors successfully secured a $200,000 cash bond with electronic monitoring should Hussein post bail. They also argued for strict conditions, including banning Hussein from using the internet and prohibiting overseas travel, citing a risk of him fleeing to Ethiopia, where he reportedly travels frequently. Hussein is scheduled to appear in court again on December 18.
Crypto Robbery Trends
This case highlights a growing trend of in-person crypto thefts. According to GitHub, there were at least 19 such incidents globally in 2024, up from 17 in 2023. These cases often involve tactics like phishing, extortion, or outright physical theft.
One of the earliest documented cases dates back to 2014, when an unknown caller attempted to extort 1,000 Bitcoin (worth $400,000 at the time) from Hal Finney, a prominent cryptographer. More recently, on December 3, thieves in Melbourne, Australia, drove through a shopping mall window to steal a Bitcoin ATM. Police later recovered the ATM in a park, damaged and set on fire.
