American tourist loses $123k in crypto after 'abduction by fake Uber driver'
- Jacob Irwin-Cline, a 30-year-old crypto investor from Portland, Oregon, was drugged and kidnapped by an impostor posing as an Uber driver in London’s West End on May 9, resulting in the theft of over $120,000 worth of digital currency.
- The incident occurred after Irwin-Cline spent an evening at a Soho club, where the driver offered him a cigarette suspected to be infused with scopolamine, a drug that caused him to become confused and partially unconscious.
- While disoriented, Irwin-Cline unknowingly gave the attacker his phone’s unlock code and entry to his crypto wallets, enabling the thief to withdraw about $73,000 in XRP and $50,000 in Bitcoin before leaving him in an unfamiliar location.
- Irwin-Cline mentioned that the attacker was fortunate to come across his hidden crypto assets, and despite active investigations by the London police and the FBI's Virtual Assets Unit, he believes the odds of retrieving the stolen funds are extremely slim.
- The incident draws attention to an increasing number of violent crimes aimed at cryptocurrency owners throughout Europe, with Uber condemning the event as unacceptable and initiating a thorough inquiry into the fake driver case.
21 Articles
21 Articles
Fake Uber drugs US tourist, steals $123K in crypto
Fake Uber drugs US tourist, steals $123K in crypto May 23, 2025 https://cryptotvplus.com/2025/05/fake-uber-drugs-us-tourist-steals-123k-in-crypto/British police are investigating a case in which Jacob Irwin-Cline, an American tourist, says a fraudulent Uber driver in London drugged and abducted him and stole $123,000 worth of his bitcoin and XRP, highlighting a surge in crimes against wealthy crypto owners. While on a short layover in the UK, th…
London Uber Driver steals $123k in crypto after drugging American Tourist
A U.S. tourist was drugged and robbed in London by an Uber driver who made off with $123,000 in cryptocurrency. According to local media, the victim, 30-year-old Jacob Irwin-Cline, was visiting the UK on a short layover when the incident…
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