Scammer Steals $4M from Coinbase Users via Fake Support Calls
Blockchain investigator ZachXBT exposed a New York-based scammer who stole over $4 million from Coinbase users. The scammer, Christian Nieves, used social engineering tactics to trick victims into giving up access to their wallets.
On June 23, ZachXBT shared a detailed report on Twitter, including call recordings. Nieves,known online as âdaytwoâ or âPawsOnHips,â impersonated customer support to manipulate victims.He ran a fake call center, posing as a Coinbase representative. Victims were convinced to set up wallets with seed phrases provided by the scammers. Once funds were deposited, the wallets were drained. Nieves used the stolen money to buy luxury goods and gamble.
One victim, an elderly man, lost $240K. The scammer deposited some funds on Roobet and converted the rest into Monero. ZachXBT identified the Roobet username âpawsonhipsâ as Nieves, linking it to over 30 thefts totaling $4 million.
What sets this case apart is the scammersâ openness. Unlike covert operations, Nieves and his associates frequently showed their faces during calls and discussed laundering strategies.this carelessness ultimately led to their exposure.
While blockchain technology matures,crypto remains vulnerable due to its open-access nature and lack of traditional banking safeguards. As ZachXBT noted, unsophisticated scammers often expose themselves through carelessness.
