ED Attaches Assets Worth ₹21.71 Crore in Coinbase Phishing Scam
Chirag Tomar, held in US for $20 million crypto fraud, linked to 9 Delhi properties
New Delhi, November 12: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached assets worth ₹21.71 crore belonging to Chirag Tomar, his family members, and close associates in connection with a massive cryptocurrency phishing scam involving spoofed Coinbase websites.
In a major disclosure issued today, the ED said, “A Provisional Attachment Order has been issued on 12.11.2025 attaching assets valued at ₹21.71 crore belonging to Chirag Tomar, his family members, and associates Rahul Anand, Akash Vaish, and Piyush Prashar.”
The attached assets include nine immovable properties located in Delhi.
The ED initiated the probe after reports surfaced that Chirag Tomar, an Indian national, had been arrested in the United States for allegedly stealing over $20 million by operating fake websites that mimicked the global cryptocurrency exchange platform, Coinbase.
According to the agency, the investigation revealed that Tomar and his associates “spoofed trusted websites through search engine optimization so that the fake websites appeared on top of search results.”
These websites looked identical to the original Coinbase site except for the contact details.
“When users tried logging in and received an error, they would call the customer support number displayed on the spoofed site, which directly connected them to the fraudsters,” the ED explained.
Once they obtained the victims’ credentials, the gang allegedly transferred cryptocurrency holdings to their own wallets, later selling the stolen digital assets on peer-to-peer (P2P) platforms and converting them into Indian currency.
The converted funds were routed into multiple bank accounts linked to Chirag Tomar, his relatives, and associates, and subsequently used to purchase immovable properties in Delhi.
Tomar was arrested by US authorities in December 2023 while entering the country.
Warning the public against such cyber frauds, the ED cautioned, “Citizens must remain vigilant against phishing scams and fraudulent communications that seek to steal personal or financial information through fake websites or messages.”
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