Brooklyn Man Sentenced to 12 Years for $16M Coinbase Phishing Scheme

Ronald Spektor, a 23-year-old Brooklyn man, has been sentenced to up to 12 years in prison for stealing nearly $16 million from almost 100 Coinbase users through a phishing and social engineering scheme.

The scheme lasted over a year, with Spektor contacting victims, telling them their accounts had been hacked, and convincing them to transfer their own crypto into wallets he controlled.

New York District Attorney Eric Gonzalez emphasized that the key to avoiding such scams is not technical, but social: never trust unsolicited calls or messages, especially if they pressure you to act quickly.