American Tourist Loses $123,000 in Crypto in London Fake Uber Scam
A brief layover in London turned into a nightmare for Jacob Irwin-Cline. In a single night, he lost his entire crypto savings — all it took was a fake Uber driver, a suspicious cigarette, and a moment of vulnerability.
The 30-year-old developer and early Bitcoin investor went out for drinks at the Roxy nightclub in Soho during a short stopover on his way to visit family in Spain. After a fun evening, he ordered an Uber to return to his hostel. Outside, a driver greeted him by name — everything seemed fine. But the car didn’t match the one shown in the app. He got in anyway.
🚬 A Cigarette That Cost Thousands
The driver allegedly offered him a cigarette. Jacob initially declined, but then accepted. That cigarette may have been laced with scopolamine, a powerful sedative known as the “zombie drug” — so dangerous it’s been called “the scariest drug in the world.”
Jacob remembers slipping in and out of consciousness as the driver asked for his phone “to check the directions.” Dazed and confused, he handed it over — along with his access codes. He vaguely recalls the driver browsing through apps. By the time he realized what was happening, it was too late.
When he came to, he found himself on the outskirts of London with his phone and laptop completely wiped. A stranger called him a taxi back to his hostel.
“They basically took everything I built over my life,” Jacob said.
💸 Crypto Gone, Recovery Nearly Impossible
Authorities later confirmed that the attacker gained access to his wallets via Revolut and forced logins. The losses? Over $72,000 in XRP, nearly $50,000 in Bitcoin, and smaller altcoin positions — $123,000 in total.
Jacob believes he wasn’t targeted for his wealth — just bad luck. Still, the method matches the pattern of a “key attack”: no hacking required, just social engineering and physical coercion.
“Without insurance and with most of it in cold wallets, getting it back is basically impossible,” he said.
He now works with the FBI’s virtual assets unit. As an early crypto adopter, Jacob says he started investing in Bitcoin while still in high school — before it ever crossed the $1,000 mark.
📉 Crypto Market Update: Bitcoin and XRP Stay Strong
As of writing, Bitcoin trades at around $106,576 with a market cap near $2.11 trillion, having reached an all-time high of $109,000 in January 2025.
XRP, boosted by Ripple’s partial legal win over the SEC, is currently priced around $2.34.
💬 The London incident shows that in crypto, it’s not just about tech security — it’s about everyday awareness. One misstep, and it could all be gone.
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