The Perfect Scam Thieves Drain Crypto Wallets in Sophisticated Phishing Scam
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Oct 31, 2025 
Glenn Fishman, a Denver real estate agent and early crypto investor, shares his harrowing tale of losing $180,000 to a sophisticated phishing scam. He recounts receiving a convincing 'Coinbase support' call that led him to unwittingly hand over his account details. Molly White, a former software engineer and crypto skeptic, discusses the alarming rise of similar scams and the lack of consumer protections in cryptocurrency. Together, they highlight the complexities of recovering stolen funds and the challenges that victims face.
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Account Lock Call Turned Catastrophic
- Glenn Fishman answered a call claiming to be Coinbase support after his account was locked and followed their instructions.
- Within a day his Coinbase account showed zeros and $180,000 in crypto was gone.
Federal Help Recovered Half The Funds
- The FBI traced half of Glenn's theft to accounts on Tether and froze those funds.
- With FBI, U.S. Marshals and a congressperson's help, Glenn recovered about $90,000 within months.
Commingling Makes Crypto Recovery Hard
- Crypto transactions can be irreversibly commingled, making stolen funds untraceable.
- Mixers and tumblers let criminals launder assets and frustrate law enforcement recovery.