An American tourist visiting the United Kingdom fell victim to a harrowing incident where he was drugged and robbed of $123,000 worth of Bitcoin stored on his cellphone. Jacob Irwin-Cline, the tourist in question, had been out at a bar in London and decided to call an Uber to take him home. However, in a moment of oversight, he mistakenly got into a private cab driven by an individual posing as an Uber driver.

Once inside the vehicle, the fake driver offered Irwin-Cline a cigarette, which he suspects was laced with scopolamine, a potent sedative. The drug caused him to become extremely drowsy and eventually pass out for approximately 30 minutes. When he regained consciousness, he was abruptly ordered out of the vehicle. As he exited, the driver suddenly sped off, hitting him with the car and fleeing with his cellphone, which held his private keys and access to his cryptocurrency accounts.

This disturbing incident is part of a concerning trend of criminal activities targeting individuals within the cryptocurrency industry. In recent months, there have been reports of kidnappings, extortion attempts, armed robberies, and ransom demands involving crypto investors, executives, and their families.

In a separate incident in France, the father of a crypto exchange owner was rescued by law enforcement after being held captive by organized criminals seeking a ransom. Furthermore, the daughter and grandson of Pierre Noizat, the CEO of the Paymium crypto exchange, narrowly escaped an attempted kidnapping in Paris. The assailants targeted the family in broad daylight, but Noizat's daughter and another individual managed to fend off the attackers.

These alarming occurrences have prompted heightened concerns within the crypto community regarding personal safety and security. Many industry professionals are now seeking additional protection such as bodyguards and private security measures to safeguard against potential threats.

The rise in violent attacks against crypto investors and professionals underscores the importance of remaining vigilant and taking necessary precautions in an increasingly volatile environment. As the crypto industry continues to grow and attract significant wealth, individuals must be proactive in safeguarding their assets and personal well-being against malicious actors seeking to exploit vulnerabilities.

Source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/american-tourist-drugged-fake-uber-driver-robbed-123k-btc?utm_source=rss_feed&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss_partner_inbound