Indian national Chirag Tomar has been sentenced in the US for creating a fake website used to steal millions from crypto users' accounts.

Fake Coinbase Site Scam Scheme

Chirag Tomar and his co-conspirators developed fake URLs that mimicked the Coinbase Pro site to deceive victims and steal their cryptocurrency. The scheme began in June 2021 and involved victims both in the US and worldwide.

Fraudsters' Methods and Tricks

'CoinbasePro.Com' was a deceptive URL designed to look like the real Coinbase Pro site. Once victims entered their credentials on the fake site, the fraudsters gained access to their authentic accounts through fake representatives, remote desktop access, and phishing for 2FA codes.

$240K Loss Incident and Tomar's Arrest

In February 2022, a victim was tricked by the fake website into thinking their Coinbase account was locked. Impersonators of Coinbase representatives misled the victim into giving their 2FA code, resulting in the theft of $240K from their wallet. Tomar was arrested at Atlanta Airport in December 2023 and pleaded guilty in May 2024.

Chirag Tomar was sentenced to 60 months in prison and two years of supervised release for using a fake site in a scheme stealing over $20M.