Brooklyn man sentenced to 12 years in prison over $16M Coinbase phishing scam

The attorney general’s office has also ordered Spektor to forfeit cash, cryptocurrency and personal property with an estimated value of more than half a million dollars and make restitution of almost $16 million.

The investigation into Spektor’s criminal activities revealed he laundered the digital assets by swapping them across multiple crypto exchanges and consolidating them at “cash-out points.” He then converted them into other cryptocurrencies and placed bets, before converting them into cash with which he purchased gift cards or additional digital assets.

“Coinbase and most other companies will never call customers or ask to transfer crypto to a ‘safe wallet’. Don’t trust caller ID, sender names or lookalike domains that can be spoofed,” Gonzalez said, adding that scammers rely on urgency and pressure, so “never move money in a rush.”