Man Charged With NFT, Crypto Theft
Soufiane Oulahyane was indicted on charges of impersonating the OpenSea NFT marketplace to steal approximately $450,000 in cryptocurrency and NFTs, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Southern District of New York.
The Deets
- Alleged perpetrator: Soufiane Oulahyane, currently in custody in Morocco
- Alleged crime: Creating a fake version of OpenSea to steal crypto and NFTs
- Amount stolen: Approximately $450,000
- Major victim: A Manhattan-based individual
The Bulk
As per the four-count indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court, Soufiane Oulahyane, alias "Soufiane Oulahya," is accused of a classic cybercrime technique known as "spoofing." By creating a false version of the OpenSea marketplace that appeared in search engine results before the genuine site, Oulahyane allegedly lured victims into inputting their private login details, thereby granting him access to their cryptocurrency wallets.
The victim entered their wallet's seed phrase on the spoofed site, unwittingly providing Oulahyane access to their cryptocurrency holdings and NFTs.
Oulahyane then allegedly moved the cryptocurrency to another wallet beyond Victim-1's control and sold approximately 39 of Victim-1's NFTs on OpenSea. The fraudulently obtained proceeds were also transferred to a separate wallet. In total, Oulahyane is accused of stealing assets that Victim-1 had paid approximately $448,923 to acquire.
🎤 Fed Feedback
As alleged, Soufiane Oulahyane used a common cybercrime technique to steal victim cryptocurrency and NFTs. Spoofing is one of the oldest tricks in the criminal playbook. Oulahyane adapted this old tool for use in a new and developing arena - the crypto space. The charges unsealed today should serve as a reminder that digital assets, such as cryptocurrency and NFTs, are not immune from cyber fraudsters and that my Office is committed to prosecuting these fraudsters both here and abroad.U.S. Attorney Damian Williams
