US police have accused a Florida resident of stealing $500,000 worth of bitcoins under the guise of another person’s identity.
Filippos Liakounakos was formally charged with theft and fraud using someone else’s personal data for illegal actions. The attacker contacted an unsuspecting aspiring crypto investor, pretending to be his business partner. Then he convinced him to invest half a million dollars in bitcoin, of which he was going to receive $50,000 as a commission. When the victim-investor got in touch with his partner the next day, it turned out that he was hearing about the cryptocurrency deal for the first time.
The incident happened in November 2020. Law enforcement tried to trace the stolen bitcoins, but to no avail. A month later, the attacker contacted the victim again via Telegram, but this time the victim managed to get the scammer’s email address. This allowed the police to get on the trail of poker player Philippos Liakunakos and obtain a search warrant.
This week, Lyacunacos appeared in court in Las Vegas. During the hearings, it emerged that Lyacunakos had carefully researched the profiles of wealthy people living in Nevada and their connections. The attacker then communicated on their behalf with potential victims. The judge considered that the 23-year-old Florida native could escape, so he decided to send the defendant to house arrest, with a $100,000 bail.
Clark County Deputy District Attorney Jim Sweetin called Liakunakos’s actions a sophisticated and elaborate theft of cryptocurrencies. Law enforcement authorities check whether the arrested person has committed similar offenses in the past. However, Liakunakos’ lawyer Josh Tomsheck argues that his client had no prior criminal record and should be released from custody to graduate from Miami University.
Hackers use a variety of methods to steal cryptocurrencies, including programs that steal personal data and passwords from cryptocurrency wallets. Recently, a resident of Moscow lost 20 BTC by clicking on a malicious link.
