An Arizona man was taken into custody on felony charges after police say he faked being an Uber driver and stole money from passengers via cryptocurrency.
On Dec. 10, police arrested 40-year-old Nuruhussein Hussein of Scottsdale, Arizona on felony charges of theft, fraud, and money laundering after a joint investigation with the U.S. Secret Service field office in Phoenix. Authorities claim they found that between March and December of this year, Hussein pretended to be an Uber driver outside a Scottsdale hotel and picked up unsuspecting customers who'd ordered actual Uber rides.
Once in his car, he allegedly asked the riders to use their phone to look up directions or to connect to the Uber app. Police say he was actually sending himself cryptocurrency with their phones.
"While manipulating the unsuspecting victim’s phone, the suspect transferred cryptocurrency from their digital wallet to his digital wallet," police said in a statement, per NBC News. In total, he's accused of stealing more than $300,000 in cryptocurrency from the passengers. Prosecutors claimed in court that he told one alleged victim to "chill or something bad would happen."
Hussein was booked into Maricopa County Jail as the police and Secret Service continue their investigation. He was charged with two counts of theft, two counts of money laundering, and two counts of fraudulent schemes. His bond was set at $200,000 and required that he stay in Maricopa County under constant electronic monitoring with a total ban on Internet use.
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His next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 18.
