Investigation into $6.5M stolen through social engineering attacks attributed to Ronald Spektor, who was later criminally charged in Brooklyn.
Victims described the same script: a caller presenting himself as a representative of a cryptocurrency exchange, armed with just enough personal detail to be convincing, walking targets through 'security steps' that handed over their funds. Across the victim set, roughly $6.5 million was taken.
The investigation connected the thefts onchain (separate victims, one laundering pattern) and attributed the operation to Ronald Spektor. As with most social-engineering cases, the attribution came from the seams between the fraudster's offchain persona and his onchain cash-out behavior.
In December 2025, criminal charges were announced against Spektor in Brooklyn for stealing from cryptocurrency users while posing as an exchange representative, a legal outcome for a case built in public.
2024
A string of social-engineering thefts targets crypto holders; victims report a caller posing as an exchange representative.
November 20, 2024
Investigation published linking the thefts onchain and attributing roughly $6.5M in stolen funds to Ronald Spektor.
December 2025+12 months
Spektor is criminally charged in Brooklyn with stealing millions by presenting himself as a cryptocurrency exchange representative.
