#BTCBreaksATH110K LONDON — As Bitcoin surges to an all-time high of $110,000, early investors like Jacob Irwin-Cline should be celebrating. Instead, Jacob is recovering from a brutal lesson in real-world crypto vulnerability: he lost his entire $123,000 crypto portfolio during a single night in London.
While digital assets continue breaking records — Bitcoin's market cap has now surpassed $2.2 trillion — so do the risks facing holders, especially as the value of wallets skyrockets. More than ever, crypto crime isn’t about high-tech hacks. It’s about exploiting human error.
The Real Risk: You, Not the Blockchain
Jacob, a 30-year-old developer and early Bitcoin investor, fell victim to a meticulously staged social engineering scam. A fake Uber driver, a drugged cigarette, and a compromised phone — that’s all it took to wipe out years of savings.
“It didn’t matter how secure the blockchain was,” he said. “They didn’t hack my wallet — they hacked me.”
This growing trend — dubbed “crypto mugging” or “key attacks” — relies not on breaking encryption, but on manipulating people in moments of vulnerability. The most common tools? Fake rideshares, scopolamine (aka the “zombie drug”), and cleverly disguised phishing attempts.
Bull Runs Bring More Than Gains
The soaring price of Bitcoin brings renewed attention, investment, and unfortunately, crime. In London, New York, and other global cities, police are reporting increased incidents of targeted thefts involving crypto apps like Coinbase, Revolut, and MetaMask.
These attacks often occur in nightlife settings, where victims may be intoxicated or off-guard. The higher the market climbs, the more valuable every phone, seed phrase, and password becomes.
Staying Safe in a $110K Bitcoin World
To protect yourself:
Use hardware wallets for large holdings.
Never hand over your phone or passwords, even briefly.
Enable biometric and two-factor authentication.
Be cautious with rideshare pickups — verify license plates and drivers through the app.
Celebration or Caution?
With $BTC breaking above $110K, euphoria is spreading — but experts warn that wealth attracts attention, and not all of it is good. Jacob's story is a stark reminder that in the crypto world, success and security must go hand in hand.
